Luton boss Rob Edwards doesn’t think for a second that the Hatters will become the ‘big spenders’ in the Championship next season as they target an instant promotion back to the Premier League.
Town’s relegation was confirmed on Sunday after a 4-2 defeat at home to Fulham, meaning they dropped back to the second tier after just one season in the top flight. The club have seen their finances boosted immeasurably by promotion just under 12 months ago, as they were able to shell out around £22m on new recruits last summer.
A first parachute payment, which is thought to be around £40m, will be transferred into the club’s account for the new campaign, with a second arriving the following season if they don’t go straight back up.
Asked if he would use some of that cash to bolster his squad and give them every chance of an immediate return, Edwards said: “Potentially, it depends on what happens with outgoings as well.”If you could tell me now, Rob, you’ve got the squad you’ve got here right now at the beginning of next season, I think we’d all take that and would have a pretty good chance of being up there. We’ll have to see on the outgoings as well, there won’t be many, but I think we’re in a position where we can (spend). Again we’re not going to change.
“Just because we’ve had one year in the Premier League now, we’re not going to all of a sudden start being the big spenders in the Championship, that won’t happen, it just won’t. There’ll be a little bit there if we think it’s the right player and they can improve us, so that gives us some real confidence that we can be in a good place come August, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with the outgoings as well.”
With Town being in the best place they have ever been in terms of financially, it puts them in a position of strength to ward off any unwanted interest in certain highly sought after members of their squad as well, Edwards adding: “Whether we’d have stayed up, or what’s happened, we want to try and keep the majority of the group together. We want to try and attack the league and I’m pretty sure we will be.
“The one thing with us is we’ve got no financial worries at all, we haven’t got to sell anybody. It’s inevitable there will be a little bit of change, that just happens, but it’s got to be right for us first of all and there’s a human side to it as well. There’ll be a few lads there who have shown now they can compete and play and do it in the Premier League, so there’ll be a little bit of change, but it will be right for us. We’re in a really strong position now.”
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