Luton boss Matt Bloomfield says he expects more transfer business to be completed before Monday’s deadline after what he admitted has been an “extremely complex summer”.
The Hatters manager confirmed there would likely be “movement in and out of the building” in the final days of the window as the club continue to reshape their squad, having seen 11 of last term’s senior squad leave, replaced with ten new recruits.
The last of those to arrive were striker Jerry Yates and Cohen Bramall, who were unveiled just before the Hatters’ opening night League One victory over AFC Wimbledon on August 1.
“I am [confident]. I think there’s going to be movement in and out of the building. We’re actively working in the background,” Bloomfield told a media conference. “There’s some deals that are moving in. But what speed depends on so many different factors, clubs, agents, players. So there’s lots going on on in and outs, and I expect there to be some movement before Monday.”
The Town manager stressed that talks over targets have been ongoing for months, though negotiations have been complicated by departures, player wishes and rival clubs’ activity.
“This window, as I’ve said a number of times, has been a really complicated one in terms of what’s happened in the last couple of years and how many players need to move or want to move and desire elsewhere, so many different factors,” he explained.
“It’s been an extremely complex summer, window, timings and wants and wishes and whether they’re realistic or not, is a different matter. So yeah, there’s been lots to go through and we’re still working.”
Bloomfield revealed that any remaining additions are likely to be in forward areas, with attacking reinforcements a clear priority. “Yes,” he replied simply when asked if targets were more attacking based.
The Hatters currently have 22 senior players and could be forced to juggle their squad list if new signings arrive. But Bloomfield said the club are keen to avoid leaving any players unregistered.
“We don’t want anyone in the building who’s not registered, that’s not where any football clubs want to be,” he said. “If we’re forced into that position on Monday, then we’ll have to have a discussion about that. But our focus primarily is making sure that we’re underneath the number, so no one’s getting lifted out.”
Explaining Luton’s transfer model, Bloomfield said: “We are a football club that’s self-sufficient and funded, so we have to make sure that everything’s aligned.
“There’s been lots of players that have been designed elsewhere, and sometimes the speed at which they move is not up to us. It’s about the clubs making the right offer at the right time, the players wanting to go to a certain place, and then as and when can we replace that player. So we’ve had to be open minded and pliable throughout the summer.”
With the deadline moved four hours earlier this year to 7pm on Monday night (September 1), Bloomfield expects a frantic finish.
“I’m just glad it’s not Friday night at 10 or 11, whatever it was last year because I was up late the night before a game when you shouldn’t be,” he said. “So yeah, Monday evening we’ll be working right up until the clock, I’m sure, because again, the complexities of our summer window.”
Despite the challenges, Bloomfield said he continues to work closely with the recruitment team to align player profiles with the club’s playing style.
“We have regular meetings,” he said. “There’s lots of discussion in the backgrounds that goes on about how we want to play, the direction of the team, formations, philosophy, the rest of it. We work really, really closely and we’re aligning what we’re trying to do, and we’re just trying to get it to a place where we’re all happy come Monday evening.”
