2 in, 2 out: Luton Town transfers we urge the club to make before February 3rd | OneFootball

There are areas the Hatters will likely want to strengthen in over the winter window

Luton Town’s return to the Championship has started the way they would have liked it to.

The Hatters came close to clinging onto Premier League survival last term but ultimately slipped back down and, given how close they ran it, were expected to be fighting to go back up again.

However, now in December, Town still find themselves lingering around the wrong end of the table and will likely want to use the January window to stabilise their position.

Here, we take a look at some transfer business the club should look to do in the mid-season window.

John Egan (In)

By far the main issue to be sorted at Kenilworth Road is the club’s defensive issues; they’ve conceded more than almost every team around them in the table, including those below them.

Part of that may be due to an overreliance on younger defenders, and a slight lack of Championship experience in the backline as a result, with 28-year-old Reece Burke the most experienced natural centre-back, often partnered with Mark McGuinness (23) and Teden Mengi (22).

Burnley’s John Egan only arrived at Turf Moor in the summer, but the six minutes he’s played for the club so far - despite being fit enough for the bench throughout - suggests it’s not been a match made in heaven.

At 32 years of age, Egan should still have plenty to offer a Championship side, having played two full seasons in the second tier with Sheffield United before their one-year stop in the Premier League.

He signed a one-year deal at the end of the summer, so a nominal fee may be required, but the switch may even do the Clarets a favour, getting a player off the books that doesn’t seem to have quite worked out, and the 205 Championship games on his CV could be just the injection of experience needed at Luton.

Ali Al-Hamadi (In)

Although defence is the biggest issue for the Hatters, a team stuck near the bottom of the table could always use some goals.

Ipswich Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi has been a victim of the Tractor Boys’ success, moving last January to test himself in the Championship, before the club’s shock ascension into the top flight.

He was still working his way into the team in the Championship, so has understandably found Premier League minutes even harder to come by, and may be interested in a route out of Portman Road to get some regular minutes under his belt.

Four goals and an assist last season for Ipswich in 14 appearances — only one of which being from the start — suggests there’s plenty more to come from the 22-year-old, and he would surely find chances in a struggling Luton side, with the potential of making a name for himself if he does manage to dig them out of a hole.

Whether it’s a loan or a sale would depend heavily on the future Ipswich see in front of Al-Hamadi, and the funds available at Kenilworth Road following their relegation.

Joe Taylor (Out)

Joe Taylor had two strong loan spells last season, the first in League Two with Colchester, where he bagged 11 goals in 25 appearances, and then up a level in League One with Lincoln City, notching 10 in 19 outings.

Natural progression suggested that he’d be ideally placed for a club in the lower stretches of the Championship to attempt that next step, exactly what Luton are now, but he’s managed just nine appearances - all from the bench.

He’s clearly a talent, but at 22 years old, he needs to be playing football. If the Hatters don’t see a route to regular game time for him at the minute, they should let him find another loan or cash in on a permanent switch.

Joe Johnson (Out)

Everything is heading in the right direction for left-back Joe Johnson at the moment.

The 18-year-old is an U19 England international and has been making the senior squad with Luton, starting one Championship game and being brought on in another.

There’s no doubt he’s a promising prospect, and there’s no need to rush his progress, but now he’s experienced regular matchday squads with the Hatters, a few months away on loan to try and gain some first-team minutes might provide a further boost to an already successful season for the Luton youth product.

Throwing him in regularly to a pressurised Kenilworth Road may be daunting for a young player, so some consistent game time elsewhere may set him up nicely to return to his parent club and have a real impact on the senior squad next season.