Luton Town have made Shandon Baptiste their first summer signing with boss Rob Edwards saying the midfielder has “something to prove” after the expiration of his Brentford contract.
The 26-year-old midfielder was part of the Bees squad that won promotion to the Premier League in 2021, making 55 Premier League appearances in the top flight and scoring against the Hatters to confirm a 3-1 defeat for Town in west London in December.
But after the departures of Luke Berry (to Charlton as a free agent), Ross Barkley (to Aston Villa for £5m) and Sambi Lokonga (returned to Arsenal after his loan), Baptiste is the first piece of the jigsaw in Luton boss Edwards redesigning his midfield for their return to the Championship.
The manager said: “We’re really excited to get Shandon in. I know I always say this about our players, but he’s a great person.
“I’ve had a few chats with him and he was really keen on joining us, it wasn’t a hard sell for me. I think he’s seen from the outside what we’re about and wanted to join and help us.
“He’s such a talented footballer. He’s someone who can take the ball, he can drive past people. I think he’s an exciting player, and technically very good, so we’re looking forward to getting him into the group.
“He’s at a good age, he wants to get back to the Premier League and he ticks a lot of boxes. He’s got a lot of experience, but he’s got something to prove as well, so he’s hungry.
“I’m delighted. It’s a really good bit of business by the club, and that’s what we pride ourselves on, trying to be really clever in the market.
“We bring in good people, good players and there was a lot of interest in Shandon, but he wanted to come to Luton and we’ve beaten a few clubs to him, which is very exciting.”
Shandon said: “I feel like Luton is the right place for me. Watching the club play last season, it was clear that something big was happening here and I want to be a part of it.
“There are good players and a good manager here so I’m hopeful that we can do big things together.
“I’ve had a lot of injuries during my career, but I feel like I’ve passed that now and hopefully I can just look forward to doing great things in the Luton shirt.”
