Tom Ince believes Luton will allow him to express himself and put his name “back on the map” after 12 stagnant months at Stoke City, where he spent most Saturdays this season sat at home watching Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports.
The forward joined Town on loan on transfer deadline day until the end of the season after Nathan Jones raided his old club to help solve Luton’s low-scoring problems.
Ince has had Premier League experience with Crystal Palace and Huddersfield after coming through the ranks at Liverpool and has cost clubs such as Derby County and Stoke more than £20million in transfer fees.
But he has only featured seven times this term at the Potters, without scoring, so the 29-year-old sees an opportunity at Luton to revive his career.
Ince said: “These next three or four months is a chance for me to get back and try to put my name back on the map at a club that’s going to allow me to express myself, play with freedom.
“You see that in the team when they play, so I’m looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get going.”
Ince’s last outing came on December 29, in a nine-minute cameo for Stoke against Nottingham Forest, and he said: “I feel the like the last 12 months has been a bit stagnated for me, especially the last eight months where I’ve hardly had any game time of any significance.
“So, for me, it’s just about a fresh start for these next few months, to come in, play with that freedom, to get back enjoying football again, it’s difficult when you’re not even involved in squads and you’re sat at home at the weekend watching Gillette Soccer (on Sky Sports).
“It’s not a feeling that I want to happen and to get the opportunity to come here at a team that’s doing so well in the Championship, to bring what I can to the table and try and help this team, that’s my main aim.”
Ince links up with Jones for a second time and he said of the phone call that tempted him to Town on Monday: “I’m grateful for him to give me the call to first of all chance his arm on deadline (day) to see if I was available and able to come.
“Then once I had a chat with him on the phone, heard the project, the mindset, and how he wants to go about the rest of the season, I was more than happy to come down and join him.”
Jones moved to add Ince and Walsall hotshot Elijah Adebayo just before the transfer window shut on Monday night after two frustrating away days at Brentford and Blackburn, where they outplayed their opponents for significant spells but couldn’t hit the net and ultimately lost 1-0 in games where they should’ve at least taken a point.
Luton have only managed six goals on the road all season and just 21 in total, though they sit in 13th place and ten points away from the Championship drop zone.
Ince said: “The gaffer spoke to me briefly and said, ‘it’s a terrific group with terrific character, desire and hunger and we play some nice stuff, it’s just that final ball, that final killer touch, or that final pass or that finish’.
“He said, ‘just to come in and bring your qualities that you’ve got, you know you can score at this level, you know you’re proven already at this level, that you’re more than capable of being a threat’.
“And the biggest thing for me is to try and replicate that, and try to show people that it isn’t just a case of you haven’t played for the last eight months, so I’ve just gone anywhere to get some game time.
“I’ve come to a good club with good players, a great direction to move forward and it’s going to give me the opportunity to express myself and show people what I can do.”
Ince joined Stoke in six months before Jones, for an initial £10million fee, and played 28 times under the Welshman’s short-lived 10 months at the Bet365 Stadium.
He said: “Obviously, at Stoke, it didn’t work out for me and it didn’t work out for the manager but that is no detriment to me or him, or our relationship as people.
“That has always remained positive and always remained well. For me to speak to the manager and for him to give off his ideas and how he wants to move forward and how he wants to play, it was a no-brainer for me and I was more than happy to get down here.
“It was just a case of trying to get the deal done as quickly as possible and get everything sorted.”
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