New Luton Town signing Gideon Kodua says the chance to work under Matt Bloomfield again made his loan switch his best option as he sets his sights on taking his game to the next level.
The 20-year-old forward has joined the Hatters with an option to buy from West Ham and arrives with a strong track record at youth level, including captaining the Hammers in the FA Youth Cup final. But it’s his existing relationship with the Luton manager that proved key to getting the deal over the line.
Kodua explained how he first crossed paths with Bloomfield during a youth match, which ultimately led to his previous two loan spell under him at Wycombe Wanderers.
“I met him through playing against him at West Ham — he was managing Wycombe,” Kodua to the club’s YouTube channel. “I ended up scoring in that game and he brought me in two days later. So got started from there and it’s just been good since then.”
With Luton aiming for a promotion push after relegation to League One last term, the forward believes Bloomfield’s ambition mirrors his own, which made the move to Kenilworth Road the ideal next step.
“I can see he wants to take me into the direction I want to go in, which is straight to the top,” said Kodua. “I’m a winner, so I want to go to a club that wins, and I know that he’s a winner also. So yeah, it was a no-brainer really.”
Kodua also spoke about the club’s togetherness on and off the pitch, something he’s already witnessed having been involved in the early part of the club’s pre-season preparations.
“When the group is really close, you can kind of see it on the pitch in terms of everyone backing each other with tackles and how we just speak to each other,” he said. “Togetherness is a really big thing, especially in a club. And wanting to win together — there’s nothing better than that.”
With less than two weeks until the season begins at home to newly promoted AFC Wimbledon, Kodua is keen to make an impact from the start.
“Goals — that’s something I’m definitely going to work on this season,” he said. “Getting more goals, assists, and just contributing to the team really, being exciting off either flank.”
Although he’s yet to play at Kenilworth Road, Kodua says he’s “100 per cent” excited to get in front of the home crowd under the lights as Town’s first fixure is the televised curtain-raiser for the entire division.
“If it could be now, then I wish it could,” he smiled about the prospect of that first game, adding: “Just got to get started as soon as possible, hit the ground running and bring in the season.”
