Luton Town have been linked with the signing of Nathan Ngoy from Belgian side Standard Liege.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, the Hatters are in advanced talks to sign the defender before the window closes next week.
The 21-year-old has made 20 appearances in the Belgian Pro League, including 15 last season (all stats from Fbref).
The centre-back has come through the ranks of the European club’s academy system, and has earned a reputation as a promising young talent.
It is expected that a deal could cost up to €5 (£4.2) million for the Championship side, but they only have until 30 August to finalise the transfer.
| Nathan Ngoy – Standard Liege league appearances by season (per Fbref.com) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances (Starts) | ||
| 2021-22 | 11 (6) | ||
| 2022-23 | 4 | ||
| 2023-24 | 15 (13) | ||
| 2024-25 | 1 (0) | ||
Nathan Ngoy Luton transfer verdict
FLW’s Luton fan pundit Finley Cannon believes that the potential arrival of Ngoy could mean the departure of another player in Rob Edwards’ side due to the number of defensive options available already.
He has claimed that Teden Mengi could be the one sold due to speculation over his future earlier in the summer, but he is hopeful the 22-year-old will stay at Kenilworth Road.
“The links with Ngoy caught Luton fans off guard, they really came out of nowhere,” Cannon told Football League World.
“I’m not sure there are many Luton fans that will admit they knew he was before, and have only really heard of him since the links came about.
“He is an inexperienced player, I think he only played about 15 top flight games last season, and did seem to end the season with some injury troubles, which doesn’t help with Luton’s current injury struggles, and the injury struggles we had to our defence last season
The Hatters are looking to bolster at the back before the transfer window closes.
“It’s a bit of a strange link, given that we already have a number of centre-backs available, and we had just signed Mark McGuinness as well for quite a significant fee.
“So, it would suggest that someone could be on their way out in defence.
“Mengi has been linked with a move away earlier in the window, but that seems to have quietened down.
“So, whether that could resurface, I don’t know, but we’d like to avoid Mengi leaving.
“If it is successful, and he does prove to be a real, top quality player, he’s only young, only 21, so it could prove to be a great move, and he could do great things for Luton and potentially move on for a significant fee that would indicate another profit and more gain for Luton.”
Luton Town’s 2024 summer transfer activity
Luton have made a shaky start to the new Championship campaign, losing 4-1 to Burnley and drawing 0-0 with Portsmouth.
This may compel them to make more moves in the transfer market before it closes next week.
So far, the Hatters have made five new additions, including permanent deals for McGuinness, Reuell Walters, Shandon Baptiste and Liam Walsh.
Tom Krauß has also joined Edwards’ side on loan from German club Mainz for the season.
Ngoy signing has potential for Luton
Luton already have seven centre-backs to choose from, so the addition of Ngoy does probably mean someone will need to go.
The 21-year-old is a promising talent, and a £4.2 million deal is affordable for a club like the Hatters.
The defender still has room to improve his game, and if he can develop into a top talent at Luton then he will become a very valuable asset to the team.
But adding an eighth defender without anyone going could cause some selection headaches for Edwards.
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