Luton Town poaching Plymouth Argyle stalwart was a key ingredient in the Premier League dream | OneFootball

Sonny Bradley is arguably one of Luton Town's best signings in recent history.

Whilst Luton Town are struggling towards the foot of the Championship table, you can't help looking back on their business in recent years and wonder where it's gone wrong this season.

The Hatters rose from non-league to the top flight in just ten years, turning the dream that every National League side has into a reality. Some of the signings the club made along their journey proved to be incredible pieces of business, helping their rise up the English football pyramid.

One such example is Sonny Bradley. The experienced defender arrived at Kenilworth Road in 2018, after turning down a new contract with Plymouth Argyle. He spent five years with Luton, leaving them in 2023 as the club captain, having hoisted the Championship play-off final trophy into the air at Wembley.

Looking back on the many great signings that Mick Harford has made in recent years, convincing Bradley to make the move from the south coast to Bedfordshire proved to be one of the key ingredients in Luton's Premier League fairytale.

Luton were smart to snatch Bradley from Plymouth Argyle

During his time at Home Park, Bradley had become adored by the supporters of the club. His physical prowess and passion for the badge made him a stalwart in the heart of the Argyle defence. He joined the Pilgrims from Crawley Town in 2016, and established himself as a cult-hero in the Green and White.

After three seasons at Home Park and almost a century of appearances for the club, a promotion-winning campaign, and being named the club's 2016-17 Player of the Season, Bradley decided it was time to move on in 2018, declining a new contract with Plymouth. The Pilgrims narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs, and there were plenty of teams sniffing around the then-26-year-old.

It came as somewhat of a surprise when Bradley was announced as a Luton player. The Hatters had only just been promoted from League Two last season and weren't expected to be anywhere near the top of the League One table. However, that's exactly where they'd finish.

Nathan Jones' side secured back-to-back promotions, lifting the League One title to everyone's surprise. The defender played all-but-one match for the Hatters in the title-winning campaign, proving to be an incredibly smart signing by Harford. To add insult to injury for Plymouth, the Greens were relegated back to League Two after losing their star defender.

Bradley helped Luton achieve their Premier League dream

Many people weren't sure what to expect when Luton set foot in the Championship in 2019, but this would be the first year in what was four strong years of building for the future. Bradley continued to play an ever-present role in the Hatters' defence, scoring in a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough in Luton's first game back in the second tier.

Every year the club made steady progress further up the Championship table. After surviving in 2019-20, the Hatters continued to build themselves up for the next challenge, promotion to the Premier League. In their first two seasons back in the Championship, Bradley played 77 times for Luton, proving to be a key in their ever-improving squad.

Despite only making 42 appearances in comparison over the final two years of his stay, Bradley was still proving to be a top Championship defender, helping Luton reach the play-offs in 2021-22, where they were knocked out by Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals. However, this setback would prove to be the fuel that would eventually see them go one better.

After finishing third place the following season, the Hatters defeated Sunderland to send them to Wembley. Their opponents were Coventry City, who were also promoted from League Two with Luton in 2018. After a grueling 120-minute ordeal, the Hatters and Bradley completed their dream by beating the Sky Blues in a dramatic penalty shootout. Whilst he didn't feature on the day, Bradley was still able to lift the trophy, in what would be his swansong for the Bedfordshire outfit.

The centre-back proved to be one of the most integral signings in Luton's incredible rise up the EFL. Whilst he didn't feature as consistently in the latter years of his stint at Kenilworth Road, his experience and influence would've undoubtedly been felt around the club, hence his appointment as club captain.