Luton boss Rob Edwards is well aware that he needs to bolster his defensive options going into the new Championship season that kicks off next Monday evening.
The Hatters suffered massively with injuries to their centre halves last term, with Mads Andersen barely featuring in the Premier League campaign, while the now released Dan Potts didn’t play a single minute of top flight football. Jamaican international Amari’i Bell was out for a lengthy period of time as well with a serious hamstring injury, with Teden Mengi and Gabe Osho, another who has since left, also both having spells on the sidelines.
Bell, Andersen and Burke are all expected to be missing when Town host Burnley in a weeks time, while Mengi went off in Saturday’s 3-1 pre-season friendly draw against Celta Vigo at Kenilworth Road, leaving Luton with just two fit centre halves, Tom Holmes, who is at least experienced in the Championship having featured over 100 times for Reading previously, and teenager Joe Johnson, with just two substitute outings to his name.
Although he hasn’t been able to bring anyone in to boost Hatters’ back-line during the summer transfer window, Edwards said: “Trust me, we’re stepping on it, we’re trying very hard, but with every kind of transfer there’s lots of parties involved and it’s just not straight forward. We’ve got to stay true to what we do as well, so we have tried hard and we are working on things as well, but people have got to want to come to this football club to join Luton for being Luton.
“I don’t like using the world project, I hate that, you hear that one all the time, but coming to be a part of what we want to do, that’s important. We’re working very, very hard to add a few more bodies. We know we’ve got to get some back from the treatment room, that’s clear, and we need a couple to come in as well that we’re still working hard on. I’m happy with the core group, the performances have been good, it’s just some reinforcements.”
