Scathing Teden Mengi view given as Luton Town exit claim made | OneFootball

Luton Town may be forced to let go of some of their biggest names if they are relegated to League One

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Luton Town are staring at the proposition of playing League One football next season.

Having reached the heights of the Premier League last term, it is a significant drop-off in a short time.

Should the Hatters' relegation be confirmed in the coming weeks, given the rapid fall, a lot of squad readjustments will likely be required to recalibrate the club with their current position.

With that in mind, we asked Luton Fan Pundit, Simon, for who he believes the Hatters should be looking to sell.

Teden Mengi tipped to be the first out of Kenilworth Road

Speaking to Football League World, Simon said: “The first player I would want rid of would be Teden Mengi.

“Despite all the goodwill that he built up during our Premier League season, he just doesn't seem to have cared very much since the Championship.

“He had a move fall through late in the window in the summer, and he did have an injury, but from what we've seen of him, he just doesn't seem to be interested too much.

“I think he clearly wants out the door, so we should be more than obliged to facilitate that for him.

“All the best Teden Mengi, thanks for the Premier League season, but not much else.”

Luton would be wise to dispense with Mengi

The 22-year-old would likely refute suggestions that he hasn’t cared about Luton this season, but regardless of his feelings towards the club, a separation may work best for both.

Mengi joined the Hatters just as they were entering the Premier League: it certainly wouldn’t have been his ambition to be playing third-tier football within two years and, still at the early stages of his career, dropping to that level would likely make him feel as if he was slipping in the wrong direction.

That, coupled with the fact that a deal to join Serie A side Torino was close last summer, according to Footmercato, suggests a move away is even more likely faced with the proposition of another relegation.

However, that course of action may also work well for the Hatters.

Teden Mengi reportedly earns £10k a week at Luton, according to estimates from Capology – not the highest-paid player at the club by a long stretch but still a significant outgoing for a defender in League One, and one who has only managed 16 league appearances this term.

Given his age and Manchester United pedigree, he is one of the most valuable assets currently at Kenilworth Road. His contract length is not public knowledge, but if the Hatters are in a position to demand a fee, he stands as one of their most marketable assets.

Luton, if they are relegated, will need to transition from being a Premier League side to a League One side extremely quickly. Parachute payments will help, but they will still need to make some big changes to their finances to cope with the drop.

Mengi and Luton are not really working for each other at the moment and, if a drop to the third tier is on the horizon, a departure for the defender seems sensible.