Nakamba, Luton Town’s Newest Inhabitant
Aston Villa’s Midfielder Has Joined The Club
Luton Town have completed the acquisition of Marvelous Nakamba from Aston Villa for an unknown price, marking him the club’s fourth signing of the summer.
The Hatters were promoted to the Premier League after defeating Coventry City on penalties in the play-off final, marking the club’s first return to the top level of English football in the Premier League era.
Remembering Luton Town’s Premier League History
Luton Town’s 10-year run among England’s top ended at the end of the 1991-92 season, when they finished 20th out of 22 clubs, missing out on the Premier League’s upcoming riches.
Luton Town’s homecoming was the type of feel-good narrative that English football desperately needs after they worked miracles to get from non-league to the Premier League. It was made much greater by the manner in which they were promoted.
The Journey to Promotion
With a squad built smartly on a shoestring budget, and some very clever loans from Premier League teams, Luton began the season under Nathan Jones with hopes of promotion having reached the playoffs the previous season.
They were in a decent position for another playoff push when, in November, Nathan Jones decided to walk out on the club for the second time in three years. Having seemingly learned nothing from his short and disastrous spell at Stoke City, Jones jumped ship to take over at Southampton.
Rob Edwards: An Unexpected Genius
Luton were left scrambling but pulled off a masterstroke. Bitter rivals Watford had sacked Rob Edwards only four months after stealing him from Forest Green Rovers, once again proving that no up-and-coming manager should ever consider a job at Vicarage Road.
Appointing a manager who had been sacked so quickly from his last job is always seen as a risk, to appoint a manager sacked by the club who are your biggest rivals could fairly be described as madness. But within madness, you will often find genius, and the appointment of Edwards proved just that.
Edwards masterminded a late-season surge that saw Luton climb to third in the table and end up victorious in the playoffs. While the celebrations were still ongoing, however, questions were being asked about how they would fare in the top flight. The Luton squad did not contain players who have proven themselves at the highest level.
Their recruits thus far this summer appear more suited for a return to the Championship, than a sustained run in the Premier League. Tahith Chong, Chiedozie Ogbene and Mads Juel Andersen are all fine players, proven performers at the Championship level, but they have a combined 65 minutes of Premier League action between them.
