Luton have signed goalkeeper Jack Walton from Barnsley for an undisclosed fee, with Town keeper Harry Isted moving heading to Oakwell on loan for the rest of the season.
The permanent deal comes after the Hatters allowed shot-stopper Matt Macey join Portsmouth on loan after he made just one appearance for Luton since his summer switch from Hibernian.
Isted jumped ahead of Matt Macey to play second fiddle behind Ethan Horvath this term, but after the signing of Walton boss Rob Edwards has strongly hinted that the 25-year-old’s career will lay elsewhere.
New recruit Walton joined Barnsley’s academy as a 15-year-old from Bolton Wanderers and quickly impressed staff as he become the regular keeper for the Under 18s. He also gained international recognition with the England Under 18s squad as a 17-year-old.
The 24-year-old kept five clean sheets in the final nine games of the season as the Tykes earned Championship survival in 2019/20 season. He also helped the Yorkshire side reach the play-off semi-finals the following season.
Manager Rob Edwards said: “Jack is an excellent, experienced goalkeeper who has worked with (goalkeeping coach) Kevin Pilkington before.
“We’ve been working behind the scenes since we let Matt Macey go on loan to Portsmouth and we wanted to make sure we strengthened the depth of that department. With Jack coming in, we feel we’ve done that.
“He’s got plenty of experience playing in the Championship with Barnsley, and we know that if anything were to happen to Ethan Horvath, we’d be very comfortable with the competition and cover in that area of the pitch, with James Shea coming back to fitness too.”
Walton said: “I’m delighted to get it over the line and get it done. It’s a great new challenge for me to come to Luton. I’ve been around the training ground – it’s an amazing set-up – and I’m ready and raring to go.
“I’ve been at Barnsley a long time and I think that’s the reason I’m ready for a fresh start, a new challenge. I’ve had ups and downs of football there, but I feel that I’ve got good experience that I can bring to the squad.”
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