Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu has finally penned a new contract with Luton Town, with the club’s longest serving current player admitting he knows he’s made the “right decision” after a summer of rumoured interest from Championship rivals such as Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion.
The midfielder was out of contract after an eight-year stay at Kenilworth Road and he has not yet featured in Town’s pre-season campaign, having been away on international duty for the first time with the Democratic Republic of Congo, featuring in friendlies against Tunisia and Mali.
Mpanzu, 27, has been with the club since 2013 in the Conference and he has risen through the leagues with Luton and become a fan favourite making 298 appearances.
Mpanzu said: “I love it at Luton, everyone knows that. The Kenny has become my second home and we’ve achieved so much in my time here.
“I know it’s taken a while with going away on international duty, an honour which playing for Luton has helped me achieve, but I know I’ve made the right decision.
“I have a special relationship with the supporters here as we’ve been on a journey together right from the Conference, and I couldn’t leave without experiencing a packed Kenny again.
“I can’t wait to get back into the swing of things. It’ll be so good to be back among the lads and hopefully together we can go on to make so many more memories.”
Manager Nathan Jones told the club’s website: “We are delighted to get it done. Pelly was out of contract, so it was his prerogative to test the water and see what was out there.
“It’s taken a little bit longer than we would have liked, but the process was thorough on their part, and he knew all along that we wanted to keep him.
“He had a fantastic season and he’s only going to get better. He sees that and we are delighted to get him done because he’s an important player for us.
“I think we’ve been patient, but professional in terms of saying to him ‘Look, you are our player, we want to keep you because you are important to us and have been on a journey with us’.
“Thankfully we’ve done that so it’s a big signing for us because he’s important to us, we care about him and he plays his best football when he plays for Luton. Now we are just looking forward.”
