Luton Town have signed experienced striker Cameron Jerome on a free from League One side Milton Keynes, with manager Nathan Jones saying he will add competition for hitman Elijah Adebayo while also helping to develop the young forward.
The 34-year-old has plenty of Premier League experience with more than 500 games and 145 goals to his name at club level in this country, having begun his career with Cardiff City in 2004. He later moved to Birmingham where he spent five years, lifting the League Cup in 2011 after the Blues’ win against Arsenal at Wembley.
Jerome then had spells at Stoke City, Norwich where he scored in the play-off final as the Canaries won promotion to the Premier League. After a year at Derby County, Jerome spent two years with Goztepe in Turkey before returning to England in October 2020 with Milton Keynes, scoring 15 goals in 38 appearances last season.
Manager Nathan Jones told the club’s website: “It’s really interesting one actually, because Cameron ticks so many boxes for us.
“We wanted someone specific because we’ve only got one target man really, and that’s Elijah Adebayo. So we wanted to bring in another target man, one for competition for Elijah, but also to provide something a little bit different as well. We feel Cameron can do a bit of everything, so it’s a real logical one.
“The experience he brings is one thing. We felt that coming back from abroad, when he went to MK and had to re-prove himself, we felt he did that really well. We’ve looked at so many front men now, and we felt that what he would give us, he’s the best about.
“c He’s mobile, can run in behind, can hold it, links play, gets goals, has good presence, great experience, can press, works hard – he does all those things.
“So we are delighted to get him having managed to beat off a bit of competition, because he was nailed on to go elsewhere and we managed to turn him.”
The club also see Jerome as a player that Adebayo can learn from, with Jones saying: “He will help Elijah to develop with that working relationship.
“We’ve got good coaches here, and obviously Mick was a top target man, but to see Cameron work and his availability – his fitness levels are superb – means he’ll be wonderful for the environment.
“We are delighted to get him because it means we’ve got players at both ends of the spectrum; one who is really embarking on his career, and one who is equally hungry and wants to prolong his career and be successful again.”
NJ says ‘we’ve only got one target man really, and that’s Elijah Adebayo’ – so how would he describe Danny Hylton? Or is DH heading for the exit, so doesn’t count any more? Great pity if so.