Football Season Guide

Luton Town

In


Andrew Shinnie (mid) (Birmingham - loan turned into a permanent deal), Sonny Bradley (def) (Plymouth), Jorge Grant (mid) (Nottingham Forest - loan), Matty Pearson (def) (Barnsley)

Out


Flynn Downes (sp) (mid) (Ipswich - loan ended), Lawson D'Ath (sp) (mid) (Milton Keynes Dons), Kavan Cotter (mid) (released), Scot Cuthbert (sp) (def) (Stevenage), Johnny Mullins (sp) (def) (Cheltenham), Jordan Cook (att) (Grimsby), Olly Lee (r) (mid) (Hearts), Akin Famewo (def) (Grimsby - loan)

The previous season saw Luton finish second in League Two to seal their return to the third tier after a decade of absence. The Hatters have been in a clear upwards trend over the last six years, which is a great contrast to the difficulties they had late in the first decade of the century, when they dropped from the second to the fifth tier in successive seasons due to financial difficulties. Luton are managed by Nathan Jones, who has been in charge since 2016 and is well-known in League One circles for his time as a player, having captained Yeovil during their time in League One. The Hatters have gotten rid of a lot of dead wood during the summer but have lost no key players. When it comes to bringing in players, they have opted for quality over quantity, having brought in only three new players and turning Andrew Shinnie's loan stay from Birmingham into a permanent move. Sonny Bradley and Matty Pearson are well-known players at League One level and are expected to become instant starters, while Jorge Grant spent the entire previous season on loan at Notts County, where he was a regular, and will now try to prove himself at a higher level. Luton's squad as a whole does not contain a lot of players with previous League One experience, but this does not necessarily have to be detrimental to their chances of performing well in the third tier. Newly promoted sides have done well in League One over the recent years, with some even going on to push for promotion, and the Hatters will be hoping for history to repeat itself.

Target


Luton enter the season in a fine mood after climbing over the league pyramid over the recent years and their goal will be to finish inside the top half.