Luton Town struck gold in a big way with Leeds United deal | OneFootball

The loan signing of Cody Drameh proved to be an inspired one for Luton Town in the 2022/23 season

Despite returning to the Championship only this season from their brief and unprecedented Premier League crusade, Luton Town find themselves entrenched in a battle against successive relegations to League One, with many of the players who helped to mastermind their 2023 promotion flattering to deceive this term.

The recent appointment of Matt Bloomfield, which was first revealed exclusively by Football League World, is yet to bear fruit, with the Hatters' profound struggles continuing in the same vein after Rob Edwards' emotional exit from Kenilworth Road.

It's hard to imagine, then, that Luton roared to promotion via the play-offs less than two years ago.

But that they did, and a mid-season loan agreement for then-Leeds United defender Cody Drameh certainly went some way to ensuring their first-ever Premier League promotion at the expense of Coventry City in the 2022/23 Championship play-off final.

Cody Drameh was excellent in Luton Town's promotion campaign on loan from Leeds United

Luton sealed a deal for Drameh with days left of the January 2023 transfer window, as the right-back penned terms at Kenilworth Road until the end of the season.

Having been perennially out-of-favour at Leeds, Drameh would have been desperate to impress with Luton and did exactly that, forcing his way into Edwards' side and playing a crucial role in their run towards the play-offs.

Drameh made 19 appearances for Luton including 16 league starts and, just as he did while on loan with Championship rivals Cardiff City the previous season, orchestrated a crucial role at both ends of the pitch.

His athleticism and direct running proved key for a side intent on utilising swift attacking transitions down the flanks, with Drameh ranking among the best full-backs in the division for chances created, successful crosses and successful dribbles per 90 minutes, as he offered an extra attacking outlet down the right-hand side.

But he was also a vital defensive cog in the Championship's joint-sternest backline, one which conceded the same number of goals per match - just 0.8 - as the top two in Burnley and Sheffield United.

Loan agreements mid-season invariably tend to yield mixed results, with the challenges of suddenly acclimating sometimes proving rather difficult.

But Drameh, who left little doubt of his talents at this level during his successful half-season stay with Cardiff twelve months prior to joining Luton, quickly shaped up to be a remarkable acquisition and it's hard to deny the Hatters struck gold given just how important his arrival was to their promotion at the end of the campaign.

Rob Edwards was right about Cody Drameh at Luton Town

It felt something of a coup when Luton completed the loan signing of Drameh, and Edwards was quick to laud the right-back after bringing him to the club.

Indeed, Edwards was already rather familiar with the then-Whites man, having worked closely with Drameh in his time with England at U18 and U20 level - and he was delighted to have struck a reunion.

Edwards told Luton's official website: "We have been aware of Cody for a long time.

"He had a great loan last season, did really well at Cardiff and he was really effective, so we know he’s more than ready for the Championship.

"He’s been in and around it with Leeds and has played in the Premier League, but he needs some first-team football now and we can offer that. We’re really excited to get him going.

"He’s got fantastic quality. He’s really athletic. He can run forward and back, which is our game and something we need. We want to try and help him, give him a platform to try to improve. He’s hungry, he wants to do it and we’re very pleased to have him here."

Edwards' comments soon proved to be bang on the money.

He had good reason to be excited and Drameh repaid that faith tenfold, while the defining hallmark of his game - namely his athletic running at either end of the pitch - shone through and aligned itself with the Welshman's dynamic wing-back system to a tee.

The stakes are now considerably higher for the Hatters, who are eyeing Championship survival as opposed to promotion.

They may not have the pull power to recruit a player of Drameh's quality, or Edwards' connections to tap into, but Bloomfield should be looking to replicate this sort of deal by utilising the top-flight loan market in what remains of the January transfer window.