Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu has said it is “tough” moving away from Luton, but wants to treat his loan spell at Rotherham as an “adventure”, with the aim of firing the Millers to League One promotion.
The 30-year-old has been a Hatter since December 13 – initially on loan from West Ham before joining permanently the following month – and he made history by becoming the only player in history to get promoted from the non-league to the Premier League with the same club.
Though he featured 27 times in the top-flight last term, his minutes were restricted and he completed just three full 90 minutes in the Premier League. This season in the Championship, he’s only made one start, having to make do with substitute cameos, totalling 130 minutes across ten appearances.
He was missing from last weekend’s squad to face Sheffield Wednesday, the first time he’s not made a match-day squad in 86 consecutive games.
And that strongly hinted that after 412 games and 23 goals he was about to move on in the transfer window, and a move away from Kenilworth Road was confirmed until the end of the season, while Luton hinting that the club’s all-time 11th longest-serving player could come back for one last game, which hints at a testimonial match at the end of the campaign.
“I’ve been at Luton for a third of my life, so it’s tough moving away when you’ve been somewhere for so long,” Mpanzu said in his first interview with Rotherham’s website.
“Making a move, it’s gotta be the right move and hopefully Rotherham proves to be that. You know, it’s not easy doing what I’ve done, but it’s a new adventure, a new beginning and hopefully I can embrace that with open arms.”
The midfielder’s first league game will be today’s home clash with Shrewsbury Town, and he added: “As soon as I spoke to the manager I knew I wanted to get the deal done. To leave a club I have really affinity with in Luton, it would have to be for a challenge that really excites me and this certainly is that. I’m really looking forward to getting out there and showing everyone what I can do and hopefully I can help the club achieve their ultimate aim of getting into the play-offs and winning promotion.”
The DR Congo international has won four promotions with Luton, with their stay in League One a short period of just one season. After getting promoted from League Two, Town won the third-tier and went on a 28-game unbeaten league streak to clinch promotion to the Championship in 2019.
Mpanzu is back in League One with a Rotherham side that sits 15th in the table but only seven points from the play-off places.
“I only spent one season in League One,” said Mpanzu, adding: “[I] got promoted from League Two and then League One. We went on a unbeaten run for like 30 games, so League One has been good to me and hopefully the second time around can be good as well. Hopefully, we make a push and we’re only a couple of points, seven or eight points off the play playoffs, so hopefully we put a run together and see where the season takes us.”
Mpanzu has only featured in one game in 2025, with just nine other appearances this term for Luton. Despite being used sparingly, he was Millers boss Steve Evans’ number one target in the January transfer window and he wants to repay that interest in him.
“I’ve kept myself injury free for the past two seasons, so I’m raring and fit to go. Hopefully I get a chance to play here. That’s all I want at my age, to play games and hopefully I get that here,” he said.
“I’m not so much match fit. I haven’t played a lot of games, so hopefully once I get two or three games under my belt, I can provide that to the team. So let me start off on a training pitch and hopefully that can continue.
“Body-wise, I’m good to go. I haven’t had any knocks or any injuries of late, but obviously it’s match minutes is different from training, so hopefully I get a lot of match minutes. If the gaffer wants to start me now then yeah, but just manage me and then hopefully I can bring the best of myself over the coming weeks and months.”
Speaking to the United website after signing Mpanzu, Evans said: “From the very start of the window Pelly was our number one target and I’m absolutely delighted that our patience has been rewarded.
“I’ve always said that we want to bring the right people to Rotherham United and Pelly is certainly someone who encapsulates what we’re all about. As ever, I would like to say a huge thank you to the chairman Tony Stewart for his incredible support in making the deal happen, as well as Rob Scott and the board who have worked right to the wire to get this over the line for us.”
Cauley Woodrow also followed Mpanzu out the Kenilworth Road door on transfer deadline day, joining Blackburn Rovers on loan for the rest of their promotion-chasing Championship campaign.
“Rovers is a massive football club with an amazing history and I know Callum Brittain, who has spoken highly of the football club,” the 30-year-old told RoversTV.
“I spoke to [Luton keeper] Thomas Kaminski and he said I had to come here. He spoke so highly of the football club, and I know he was so well-liked here, so he was someone I wanted to listen to and take advice from.
“I hope I can get some minutes here, get some goals and help Rovers. I’m really hungry having played a lot of games in this division and scored a lot of goals. With opportunities, I’m sure I can do that again.
“I thrive off scoring goals, I know this division and know how tough it is. My goal is to do all I can to help the club as much as I can.”
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