Luton Town will be looking jealously at Millwall right now given summer chase | OneFootball

With Millwall's excellent run of form of late, Luton will be ruing their failure to sign defender Japhet Tanganga in the summer.

Amid a poor start to the 2024-25 season, Luton Town may be kicking themselves after a failed summer move for Japhet Tanganga has truly come back to bite them.

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender chose to move to Millwall after a loan stint in the second half of the season at The Den instead of opting for the Hatters, and he has been in a rich vein of form since arriving at The Den.

With Luton currently only above the relegation zone on goals scored and having leaked five goals away at Middlesbrough this past weekend, it appears increasingly likely that Rob Edwards' side will rue their decision to not push harder to sign Tanganga.

The centre-back opted for familiar surroundings at Millwall instead of a new challenge with what was on paper more of a promotion contender, and whilst it's going well for him so far in South Bermondsey, Edwards must be thinking 'What if?'.

Japhet Tanganga has started his permanent Millwall career in superb form

A 1-1 draw against Stoke City on November 9 saw Millwall extend their unbeaten league run to seven games, and with Tanganga ever-present during that sequence, it is safe to say the Englishman has had a profound impact on the Lions' defence during their rise up the Championship table.

The notion of Tanganga's impact is made clear by Millwall's defensive record. The London-based club have only conceded 13 goals in 15 games so far, and boast the league's seventh-best defence. This is a remarkable improvement for a team that conceded 55 goals the season prior.

Having forged a formidable partnership with current on-pitch captain Jake Cooper, Tanganga's personal statistics have also been very impressive.

Most notable within the figures is Tanganga's tackle success rate, as he comes out with the ball in three of every four attempts. He is also almost never dribbled past, allowing Millwall to hold a reliable defensive shape.

For comparison, partner Jake Cooper's only wins 62.5% of tackles and is dribbled past 0.41 times per 90 minutes, demonstrating just how imposing Tanganga has been in the centre-back role.

The defender has also contributed one goal for his troubles, with his deft touch against Leeds United proving his silky quality on the ball when he gets the chances.

Luton Town will regret decision not to push ahead with a deal for Japhet Tanganga

Not only has Tanganga been in blistering form since moving on a permanent basis to The Den, but Luton's difficulties have really intensified.

The Hatters have won only four games from their opening 15 fixtures, suffering a 5-1 battering at the hands of Middlesbrough on Saturday in their latest setback.

A late Jordan Clark strike did nothing to put Luton back in the game, as Rob Edwards' side already found themselves 4-0 down at that time.

To rub salt in the wound, it is Luton's backline that has provided the most worries for them this season. 26 goals conceded makes them the second worst defence in the Championship, with a rotational back three of Teden Mengi, Mark McGuinness, Daiki Hashioka, Amari'i Bell and Tom Holmes unable to synchronise effectively.

Tipped as one of the pre-season favourites by many to return to the Premier League, it now looks increasingly likely that Rob Edwards will depart the club in the near future if results continue as they are, as they are already nine points adrift of the play-off places.

We may never truly know if Luton could have done more to bring Tanganga to Kenilworth Road, but surely the Hatters had a financial advantage over Neil Harris' side due to their parachute payments, although money at times isn't the be all and end all.

Whether Luton can regain form and find their way back towards the top end of the table is another question, but as fans know, the Championship is a very tight league and anything can happen.

One thing is for certain though, an unwillingness to gamble on a centre-back with proven Premier League experience was a gross oversight by Luton Town, and a decision they may continue to live to regret.