Luton Town

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Luton Town had to do something major in the January transfer window given their position in the relegation places and the outgoings and incomings reflect that.

Whether it will be enough to keep them up remains to be seen but the club have certainly made efforts to achieve that. They said they would be aggressive in their dealings and they bared their teeth as best they could.

The Hatters have been crying out for pace and creativity in the final third all season and so have brought in some potentially exciting talent.

It's now whether signings from League One - Thelo Aasgaard and Millenic Alli - can step up in the Championship and spark Luton into life.

Isaiah Jones does have solid second-tier experience and will need to justify his big transfer fee.

Lasse Nordas offers competition to Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo in the nine role but will need to adapt to British football while Kal Naismith should be a good addition to the defence.

Luton had to offload players who were not featuring regularly, including long-serving Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu who played in the National League through to the Premier League.

It's an end of an era for Mpanzu and sad that it's come to this midway through the season but he'll be back to get a well-deserved testimonial, I'm sure.

New manager Matt Bloomfield has been backed but with two really tricky games coming up against in-form Sunderland and Sheffield United this new squad may have to be judged on the matches following those.

Games are beginning to run out. Luton did well in the draw away to Sheffield Wednesday last time out but they need to start collecting wins.

You get the feeling this relegation fight could go all the way.

Image source, Rex Features

Matt Bloomfield described Luton's point at Hillsborough as 'a stepping stone' after his side ended their run of 11 consecutive Championship defeats on the road.

The Hatters went ahead through Alfie Doughty's first goal of the season and, although Michael Smith levelled with a second-half penalty, Bloomfield's side survived a wave of Wednesday pressure to secure a draw.

"I can feel the spirit growing, I can feel the confidence growing. But that's only words from me unless we back it up with results," Bloomfield told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"A point away from home always has to be respected and I thought there was some really good individual displays in there.

"It's a stepping stone for us, of course we want to win away from home but it's been a long run and to show that character and togetherness and get a point on the road has got to be a good day for us.

"First half I thought our shape was fantastic, we limited Sheffield Wednesday to very few opportunities. I think we tired a bit, we've got some boys still working their way back to full fitness, but at any level, you've got to defend for your lives at times.

"I was really pleased that the boys got some reward for their work because they've worked really hard this week, at least they've got a point and it was nice to share that with the supporters at the end."

Image source, Getty Images

Luton Town's manager has played down suggestions that new boys Millenic Ali and Thelo Aasgaard are 'Matt Bloomfield signings' because of his in-depth knowledge of League One.

The pair have been brought in from Exeter City and Wigan Athletic respectively to add freshness to the Luton squad as they look to pull themselves out of relegation trouble.

"It's important in January, there's not a huge amount of time before the end of the season, so the players you bring in need to be ready to go," Bloomfield told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"Obviously I'm aware of those boys and understand their games, but they were on the club's radar before I got here as well. It's absolutely a (recruitment) team effort."

Bloomfield said it was possible that more signings could be made before the transfer window closes, adding: "This is my third January transfer window and all kinds of names come up and you have to be ready to react.

"We have to make sure we do the right business and we're really pleased with what we've done so far."

But he refused to be drawn on reports suggesting Luton were willing to pay £6m to his former club Wycombe for top scorer Richard Kone.

Asked about the situation regarding Kone, he replied: "I'm smiling because I knew it was coming. Richard is a great boy but I'm not going to sit here and talk about transfers of players at other clubs, it just doesn't feel right.

"I won't be commenting on speculation, I'm here to do the best job I possibly can and our interactions and discussions so far as a recruitment team have been fantastic, we'll do the best we can and do what's right for us for the rest of the season."

Wycombe's joint-interim boss Sam Grace said in midweek that Kone "wants to get promoted with Wycombe".

Tottenham will allow 19-year-old forward Will Lankshear to leave on loan before Monday's transfer deadline, with Burnley, Middlesbrough, West Brom, Cardiff and Luton keen on the England Under-20 international. (Football.London), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column.

Image source, SNS

Allan Campbell is "a real coup for the club," says manager Jim Goodwin after the midfielder joined Dundee United from Luton Town on a permanent deal until the end of the season.

Scotland cap Campbell, 26, moved to the English Championship side in summer 2021 from Motherwell. He has spent the last 18 months on loan, at Millwall and then Charlton.

"It's rare for a player of his calibre to be available in the winter window," Goodwin told the United website.

"His tenacity in the middle of the park perfectly complements his ability to handle the ball in tight areas and retain possession, all while posing a goalscoring threat from near and far."

Campbell - who Goodwin said in his press conference earlier today was of interest to other teams in Scotland - is looking forward to "the high-pressure scenarios" to come.

"As soon as the manager outlined his vision for the rest of the season, I knew where this was where I wanted to be," he said.

"Pressure is a privilege and if you ask any footballer, they want to be involved in high-pressure scenarios. I feel they bring the best out of me and I'm ready for them during an important time of the season."

Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield will hope to find his first win since taking charge as they visit Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Bloomfield has seen a draw and two losses from his new side since joining from League One's Wycombe Wanderers in January.

The Hatters are currently second from bottom in the Championship and only an emphatic win will give them the opportunity to escape the bottom three.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday are on the hunt for a play-off place and will need three points else risk dropping off the pace.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their last 13 league games against Luton Town (D4 L8), a 1-0 victory at Hillsborough in August 2019.

• Luton Town have won seven of their last eight league games against Sheffield Wednesday (L1), keeping four clean sheets across that time.

• Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten across their last four home league games (W2 D2), scoring 2+ goals in each of those matches.

• Luton have lost each of their last 11 away league games in succession, conceding 2.7 goals on average per match in that time. No side across England's top four tiers is currently on a longer losing run on their travels than the Hatters.

• Luton's Charlton Morris has netted three goals across his last two league meetings with Sheffield Wednesday, netting a brace in the reverse fixture back in September.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Jim Goodwin feels United have "done what is right for the club" after 18-year-old midfielder Alan Domeracki became the latest Tangerines prospect to move to England.

Domeracki, who did not make a first-team appearance for United, has joined English Championship side Norwich City for an undisclosed fee in a deal that includes "significant" performance based add-ons and a large sell-on clause.

Goodwin said: "We need to look at our game up here in terms of the development of these young players and trying to bridge the gap between Under-18s and first-team football.

"At the moment we don't have a good enough set-up for that and the attraction of England for these players is that there are obviously great facilities, they have an Under-21 league these guys can play in for the next two, possibly three, seasons and continue their physical development.

"We feel we have done what is right for the club in this instance. The player is happy, we are happy with the fee and obviously there are some contingencies within there as well depending on the success of both players."

United goalkeeper Jack Newman's loan spell at Livingston has been terminated after the 22-year-old sustained a knee injury.

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Luton Town are in big trouble. Their recent seven game form is the worst in the Championship. One point from a possible 21 and firmly in the relegation zone.

Matt Bloomfield has been in charge for three games but the same problems remain. Soft goals conceded, not enough scored at the other end and a side bereft of belief and confidence.

The new boss can only use the cards he's been dealt and unfortunately the players have proved this season that they haven't been good enough for the Championship.

It's a big fall from grace. A lot of these players were earning plaudits for their character in the Premier League last season, but maybe they were pulling the wool over our eyes.

Luton were getting beaten but giving it a go. But giving it a go doesn't win you matches even in the Championship. And the summer signings haven't been as good as the ones they replaced.

The Hatters now need proper fight, they need every player to raise their levels and they need new additions in this window.

Izzy Jones has been signed from Middlesbrough and others are sure to arrive. But will it be enough? Will they be the right ones?

The problem with January signings can be you either pay over the odds for targets or you get players that aren't wanted elsewhere for whatever reason that might be.

So Luton need to be very shrewd. Falling into League One with expenditure and wages high would be very damaging.

Image source, Rex Features/BBC Sport

Luton Town have submitted a £6m bid to Wycombe Wanderers for striker Richard Kone in an attempt to reunite the 21-year-old with former Chairboys boss Matt Bloomfield at Kenilworth Road. (Football Insider), external

The Hatters are also in advanced talks with Wigan Athletic over their top goalscorer Thelo Aasgaard, who has netted 12 goals in 31 appearances this season. (Football League World), external

Want more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Read Tuesday's gossip column here.

Wycombe Wanderers striker Richard Kone, who is reportedly wanted by ex-Chairboys boss Matt Bloomfield at Luton Town, is committed to staying with the League One club, according to their interim coach Sam Grace. (Luton Today), external

Want more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Read Monday's gossip column here.