After what was a very tough start to the season for Luton Town in which they won once in their opening 12 league matches without a win, they now have a great chance of staying in the Premier League. Luton are just one point behind Everton in 17th place and still have one game in hand after their game against Bournemouth was postponed.
The Hatters were many people's favourites to be relegated this season given their lack of financial clout, Premier League experience and the players Rob Edwards had to choose from. However, the Luton boss deserves a lot of praise for having his side with a fighting chance of maintaining their Premier League status.
A lot of Luton's summer signings have proven to be big hits and have played huge roles in their success. The likes of Andros Townsend, Ross Barkley and Marvelous Nakamba are regulars in the starting lineup and cost a total of around £2.5 million. We're going to look into what Luton have done to bolster their ranks for the second half of the season in this transfer window.
Luton Town new signings: January 2024 arrivals
Tom Holmes – Reading (Undisclosed)
Rob Edwards has spoken openly about the arrival of Tom Holmes who he tried to sign from Reading in the summer, only for the Royals to keep their academy graduate. However, the League One club's perilous financial situation meant an offer from a Premier League side was now simply too good to turn down as staff members await to be paid.
Holmes has not just ditched Reading, however, as he's been loaned back to the Royals for the remainder of the season. The centre-back is only 23 years old and has 130 appearances under his belt so could have potentially made an impact right now for the Hatters, although their defence hasn't been that much of an issue this season.
Recruiting Holmes is certainly a pragmatic signing because he can be nurtured and pushed onto the next level no matter what division Luton find themselves in next season. Holmes could easily play in the Championship if Luton fail to avoid the drop, but also would back himself to thrive in the top flight next term if they pull off a miracle.
Daiki Hashioka – Sint-Truiden (£1.7 million)
Daiki Hashioka has become Luton's first permanent signing who will make an immediate impact on the squad in this transfer window. They obviously signed Holmes, but he's gone back on loan to Reading, however, Hashioka will be ready to play as soon as Rob Edwards calls on him.
The Japanese right-back is coming over from the J-League and is ready to make his mark in the Premier League. The Hatters have managed to keep their defence pretty straight this season given the challenges they've faced, but Edwards will be delighted to have brought in at least one new face.
Hashioka is also a right-back who isn't afraid to get forward. The defender has two goals to his name over in Japan this season, but also does the defence side of the game very well, boasting a 67% tackle-win percentage.
Effectiveness of Luton's summer 2023 signing
Luton were only able to spend around £20 million in the summer, but some of the deals they managed to do with that budget must be applauded. They brought in ex-Manchester United ace Tahith Chong, Ryan Giles, Townsend and Barkley with all of them playing a huge part in their relative success.
Townsend in particular was turned away from Burnley despite him initially being set to sign as a free agent and has already returned three goal involvements including a winning goal against Champions League outfit Newcastle United.
A lot can be said for the way Luton quietly went about their summer business by recruiting talented, cheap and experienced players to help bolster their squad ahead of an inaugural Premier League bout. Whereas clubs such as Burnley, or other teams in past seasons have spent heavily and/or brought in a lot of new faces, when this could be the blueprint for teams to now follow.
Confirmed Luton Town departures in January 2024
Joe Taylor – Lincoln City (Loan)
Despite having been signed this time last year, Joe Taylor has just five appearances under his belt for the Hatters. He almost wrote his name into hatters folklore scoring at Wembley last season, only for his goal to be ruled out for a handball earlier in the move and since then, he's not been rewarded with a chance in the top flight.
Taylor has been loaned out to Colchester and is now with League One side Lincoln. So, it looks as though that is his level right now and is some way off Premier League standard. Luton will not be looking to lose any of their first-team players this month as it will only weaken the push to avoid the drop.
Ryan Giles – Hull City (Loan)
It's been a poor stint at Luton for Giles having been signed last summer from Wolves for around £5 million, but he's only been able to start five games. Therefore dropping back down into the Championship where he thrived last season is a sensible move from all parties.
Giles has joined big-spending Hull City until the end of the season and the deal has an option for the Tigers to sign him permanently in the summer. With Luton still unsure over where their future lies for next season, affording Giles regular first-team minutes in the Championship to get his confidence up is a smart decision both financially and from a footballing point of view.
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