Luton Town may be keen to retain some of their players who went out on loan last season.
Ryan Giles is an excellent player to have at this level and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him stay, regardless of whether Alfie Doughty stays put or not.
Alan Campbell and Tom Holmes are two other players they may want to retain, along with John McAtee, who was nothing short of outstanding at Barnsley during the 2023/24 campaign.
All of these players could help to boost the Hatters’ depth and quality next term – and it will be fascinating to see who stays and who goes out of that quartet.
The Hatters have already sent a player out on loan this summer, with Dion Pereira joining non-league outfit Dagenham & Redbridge.
And we take a look at three other players who could secure temporary moves away from Kenilworth Road before the summer transfer window closes.
Joe Johnson
18-year-old Johnson isn’t a total stranger to senior football, having made his first-team debut during the 2022/23 season.
He also made five competitive appearances last season, with two of those coming in the Premier League.
But he could potentially find his game time limited next season, with the left-back potentially set to be behind the likes of Doughty and Giles during the 2024/25 season.
That isn’t ideal for the teenager, who has already shown plenty of promise and is arguably ready to secure more senior football away from Bedfordshire.
A loan will allow the player to show Rob Edwards why he should be a key part of the Hatters’ squad and with the player likely to gain some valuable experience out on loan, it makes sense for Luton to sanction a temporary exit.
If he isn’t going to start regularly, he needs to be given a chance to thrive elsewhere, even during the early stages of his professional career.
Zack Nelson
The 19-year-old also featured in the top flight for Luton last term, but he only made two short cameos and with this in mind, a loan exit would surely make sense.
It would be a big ask for the teenager to be a key part of a team that’s chasing promotion back to the top level next term, with so little experience under his belt.
And he may end up finding his game time limited by Tahith Chong and others, which won’t help him in his quest to develop and become a valuable asset under Edwards.
Some would argue that he’s likely to get more game time now Luton have been relegated, but Nelson is approaching a delicate stage of his career that could decide whether he fulfils his potential or not.
A short-term loan, with the potential option to extend it, could be the right move for the 19-year-old this summer.
Joe Taylor
Taylor enjoyed two successful loan spells last season.
Doing well at Colchester United during the first half of the campaign, he then joined League One club Lincoln City, where he thrived under Michael Skubala.
Making an excellent impact for the Imps within a short space of time, some would argue that he should be retained by the Hatters for next season.
| Joe Taylor’s loan spell at Lincoln City (2023/24 – All competitions) | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 19 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 3 |
However, Elijah Adebayo, Carlton Morris, Jacob Brown and Cauley Woodrow could all be available as forward options for the 2024/25 season and that could limit the amount of time that Taylor gets on the pitch.
Another loan spell away from Kenilworth Road could allow the player to continue thriving in front of goal before returning in time for the 2025/26 campaign, when he could be a real force for the Hatters.
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