Luton boss Rob Edwards believes the Hatters have become far more of an ‘attractive proposition’ when it comes to enticing players to Kenilworth Road after their season in the Premier League.
Although Town weren’t able to maintain their place in one of the most elite leagues in world football, the manner in which they attacked their matches, particularly in the second half of the campaign, won them a whole host of new fans. That appears to have filtered through to the kind of players that Town might be able to attract too, as although Luton have only brought in Shandon Baptiste and Reuell Walters so far in the summer transfer window, Edwards said: “It’s an amazing place to be at at the moment.
“You see that we’re a more attractive proposition now, in terms of recruitment. It’s interesting. The phone calls that we get now saying ‘you might be good for this person’. I think we’re maybe perceived slightly differently out there, and that’s great. It’s a really good vibe about the place and we just want to keep that going.
“I think we made a lot of friends along the way, which was nice. It wasn’t about making friends, it was about trying to stay in the league, but it was nice that people saw the best of Luton Town. We were a smaller club in the Championship and got promoted to the Premier League and it’s a chasm, isn’t it? We tried to bridge it as best as possible and tried to compete as best we could and in the main we did that, but we just came up short.
“In the stands with our supporters, in the boardroom with our board and hopefully on the pitch with our players and staff, we tried to showcase our best and gave it absolutely everything. It just still feels like this club is going the right way and going upwards. If there is such a thing as a positive relegation, that was it.”
Although Town find themselves back in the second tier once, they have been able to keep the majority of their squad together so far, seeing just Ross Barkley depart for Aston Villa, while Sambi Lokonga returned to Arsenal following his loan spell, subsequently heading out to La Liga side Sevilla for the upcoming campaign
The lack of exits, on and off the field, is something Edwards pointed to as a huge plus, continuing: “We’re not in a position where we’re having to sell loads of people. People aren’t losing their jobs, we’re actually improving. I feel like that and that’s why I’m really motivated. We want to, now, continue to keep performance levels really high, but also win now and that’s going to be important.”
Although there were rumours in the summer that the Town chief could be on his way elsewhere, with some Premier League clubs reportedly sniffing around due to the impressive way in which he handled life in the top flight, the former Wales international only had one goal in mind for the term ahead, doing all he can to win a second promotion in three seasons. It was something that became crystal clear to him after relegation was confirmed too, adding: “That day at West Ham, standing there, just convinced me straight away that we have to get back here (Premier League) and I have to be here to try and help the club do that again.
“I love our supporters, I know everyone says that, but it’s really unique. I feel we’ve got a really strong bond and I think they know that. I know a lot of managers or head coaches can say ‘our fans are great’, but I genuinely love our supporters because of the way they welcomed us in 18 months ago and the way they stuck with us through difficult moments, but still exciting times last year as well.”
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