Jones issues defiant message over transfer window bids for his Hatters stars

Nathan Jones has said Luton won’t lose anyone against their will in the last few days of the transfer window. 

So, far Dion Pereira has gone out on loan, to Bradford, along with some of the development squad, but it has been a quiet January for the Hatters. 

Chief concern among many supporters is that Town don’t lose top scorer Elijah Adebayo, who bagged his 12th goal of the season to beat Bristol City 2-1 on Tuesday. 

The striker had been tentatively linked Newcastle earlier in the window, but they’ve since splashed £20m on Burnley’s Chris Wood.  

Asked if he expects any bids for his players, boss Jones said: “No, we don’t envisage that, there’s certain players that are in real good form, but we won’t lose anyone this window, not anyone that we don’t want to lose anyway.

“If something comes in and someone’s not playing much and would like a little bit more game time then we’ll understand decisions, but we won’t lose any players that we don’t want to lose this window. We won’t do that.”

Luton have also been linked again with a move for Newcastle youngster Elliot Anderson, though Jones said earlier in the month that a new move for the attacking midfielder wasn’t on the cards at the time. 

Today the manager said: “if someone comes available that will improve our 11 then we’ll have to move someone and we’ll explain to them the reasons why, but at the minute we’re pretty much set.

“We’d like to add more quality because we want to be stronger coming out of this window than going into it, but it gets harder as the years go by and the windows go by and as we improve and we recruit and we develop/

“Then it gets harder to do that and we won’t just bring a number in, or bring anyone willy-nilly in, as it’s a real tight-knit group here.

“It has quality, it has athleticism, it has competition and there’s great team spirit, so we won’t upset that just for the sake of a number.”

He added: “I’m sure there will be some done. The level of it, we’re not sure yet. The windows will be getting harder because, as we improve the squad significantly in the summer window, so we donm’t need masses. 

“What we do need is something that improves us. So, if we can get something that improves us then business will be done. If not, no problem because we’ve still got plenty to see from a lot that we signed in the summer.”