It has been a disappointing start to life back in the Championship for Luton Town.
Luton were relegated from the Premier League last season after just one year in the top flight, but they were widely expected to be among the promotion contenders in the Championship.
It was a busy summer at Kenilworth Road with seven new signings arriving, and while the Hatters did lose some of their key players such as Gabriel Osho, Ross Barkley and Chedozie Ogbene, many felt they had a squad that was capable of challenging for promotion.
| Luton Town summer signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Reuell Walters | Arsenal | Permanent |
| Mark McGuinness | Cardiff City | Permanent |
| Shandon Baptiste | Brentford | Permanent |
| Liam Walsh | Swansea City | Permanent |
| Tom Krauss | Mainz | Loan |
| Lamine Fanne | AIK | Permanent |
| Victor Moses | Spartak Moscow | Permanent |
However, it has been a slow start to the season for Luton, and their struggles continued as they were held to a 2-2 home draw by newly-promoted Oxford United on Tuesday night.
It looked as though the Hatters were heading for a much-needed three points when goals from Jordan Clark and Tom Krauss gave them a two-goal lead inside 37 minutes, but Tyler Goodrham pulled one back for the U’s just before half-time and Ruben Rodrigues equalised in the 54th minute.
Luton’s troubles were compounded when Liam Walsh was sent off for a reckless challenge less than a minute after being introduced as a substitute, but they did manage to hold on for a point.
The Hatters have picked up just eight points from their first eight games of the season, and they are already nine points behind second-placed Burnley and 10 points behind leaders Sunderland.
Pressure is starting to build on manager Rob Edwards, and with expectations higher than they have ever been previously, Luton are finding it tough to live up to their billing as one of the promotion favourites.
Increased Luton Town expectations could be a problem for Rob Edwards
Having led the club to promotion to the Premier League in the 2022-23 season, Edwards has plenty of credit in the bank with Luton supporters, but their patience is starting to run thin as the poor run of form continues.
Since a 4-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in January, the Hatters have won just three of their last 27 games in all competitions, and while much of that was in the top flight, it does not make for good reading for Edwards.
While they lost the likes of Osho, Barkley and Ogbene, Luton did manage to keep hold of many of their stars this summer, including Teden Mengi, Tatith Chong, Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo, and Edwards was backed in the transfer market.
The Hatters perhaps did not make the volume of signings that some had expected, but they did sign Mark McGuinness from Cardiff in a deal that could eventually be worth £10 million – a transfer fee that would have previously been unthinkable for the club – and they brought in a midfielder in Krauss with plenty of Bundesliga experience and a Premier League and Serie A title winner in Victor Moses.
Carlton Palmer believes that Rob Edwards should not be under pressure at Luton Town
Few could argue that Edwards has not been given the tools needed to deliver promotion this season, but he is certainly not getting the best out of his squad currently.
Morris scored 11 goals in the Premier League last season, while Adebayo netted 10 times in the top flight, but the former has found the back of the net just twice so far this campaign and the latter is yet to get on the scoresheet.
As well as their goalscoring problems, Luton have lost the defensive solidity that became such a hallmark of their promotion-winning campaign two seasons ago, and Edwards urgently needs to tighten his side up at the back if they are to climb the table.
After the draw against Oxford, Edwards admitted that “clearly we are not at our best at the moment” and that “there is probably a bit of a lack of confidence”, which is understandable after the demoralising experience in the Premier League last season, and it will take time for him to bring a winning mentality back to the club.
Edwards only signed a new four-year contract at Kenilworth Road in June, so his position is unlikely to be under any immediate threat, but with difficult games against Sheffield United, Watford, Sunderland, Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion to come in the next five games, it may not be long until the scrutiny on the 41-year-old increases.
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