Then man that signed Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu for a then non-league Luton nine years ago believes that the midfielder would costs up to £30million in today’s transfer market.
Jon Still brought the West Ham United youth to Kenilworth Road, initially on loan in 2013 as a defender, before making the deal permanent in 2014 for an undisclosed fee and a deal that was described as a “major coup” at the time.
That year, Mpanzu was then part of the Luton side that finally won promotion from the Conference after five years of failure.
Now, after two back-to-back promotions to reach the Championship, the Hatter in on the precipice of the Premier League, which would make club and personal history.
No club has gone from the non-league to the top flight while no player has played in all five divisions for one team.
Asked what Mpanzu would be worth in today’s money, Still said: “Twenty-five, 30 million pounds, that’s what I think.”
But even the former Town boss couldn’t foresee that Mpanzu would achieve what he has with Luton.
“(It’s) an incredible achievement,” Still said, adding: “In my career, a lot of players, I’ve always tried to sign what I call young, hungry players.
“I knew Pelly as a player at West Ham, I’m a West Ham supporter, so I knew of Pelly and I just thought he had great energy.
“(He was) still trying to make a career for himself, so we took him loan, he did exceptionally well, so fortunately we were able to buy him.
“Did I think he would be playing in the Premier League for the same club in a short period of time? No, I didn’t. Did I think he would progress his career? Yes, I did.
“But when you talk about people playing in the lower leagues, playing in the Premier League, you’re now talking about playing with and against the best players in the world.
“The Premier League is the most elite league in the world now, so I wouldn’t have said that I thought he would do that and it’s unbelievable credit to him that he’s hopefully going to achieve that.”
