Luton Town set for off-pitch transfer shake up amid new development | OneFootball

Luton Town are looking to hire a new transfer expert to help chief recruitment officer Mick Harford

Luton Town are looking for a new transfer expert to join the club and help chief recruitment officer, Mick Harford, following their underwhelming summer transfer window.

That's according to Alan Nixon, who reports that the Hatters are looking to bring in a new staff member shortly to support Harford, but not because of their summer business.

During the last transfer window, the Hatters signed the likes of midfielder Tom Krauss from Bundesliga outfit Mainz, and defender Mark McGuinness from fellow Championship club Cardiff City.

Then, once the window had shut, the Befordshire outfit signed former Chelsea man Victor Moses on a free transfer, after his contract with Spartak Moscow expired.

Hatters' summer signings have not delivered

The Kenilworth Road faithful should be pleased by the news that their club are looking to hire a new transfer expert ahead of the January transfer window.

Despite the fact that their club made several signings following their relegation last term, such as the aforementioned Krauss and McGuinness, as well as that of former Swansea City man Liam Walsh and Arsenal youth academy product Reuell Walters, Rob Edwards' men have been below par this campaign.

While the Hatters' quick rise from non-league to the Premier League was an utterly remarkable feat, now that the Hatters have reached the top-flight and faced subsequent relegation back to the Championship, there is a pressure attached to them which hasn't been present in years gone by.

With talented players in their squad who have previously proved their worth in the second tier, such as Carlton Morris, Elijah Adebayo and Tahith Chong, the Hatters should be able to launch a serious play-off push.

However, even with some summer additions, Edwards' side have been poor this campaign, and have yielded just five wins from 16 games in which they have suffered eight defeats.

Although the Hatters have now won two of their last three games, a 5-1 defeat at Middlesbrough was sandwiched in between their 1-0 win over Cardiff earlier this month, and Saturday's 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Hull City.

Crucially, their home victory over the Tigers took Edwards' men three points clear of the relegation zone, while dragging the Yorkshire outfit into the bottom three.

But frankly, with over a third of the Championship season now gone, the Hatters should have been in contention for a top-six spot, as opposed to being concerned about how close they are to the relegation zone.

While largely speaking, the Hatters' summer recruits have not yet been able to produce their desired effects on the club's success.

For instance, former Brentford attacking midfielder Shandon Baptiste has failed to produce a single goal contribution in nine Championship appearances since agreeing terms at Kenilworth Road.

Current boss Edwards occupies a very special place in Luton's club history, having guided them to the Premier League via a play-off final win in 2023.

And although the Hatters struggled in the top-flight, managing just six league wins, there is now an expectation on Edwards' shoulders that he should be able to take his side to play-off contention once again.

However, the Hatters' performances so far this campaign have seldom matched the sort of showings we'd expect to see from a side with serious top-six credentials.

But the arrival of a new transfer expert could witness some exciting arrivals to Kenilworth Road this January, and could ease any potential worries Edwards has regarding his future with the club.