Luton Town Chairman David Wilkinson has explained the difficulties of this summer’s transfer window and why the club continue to stick to their principles.
Despite two early signings in Shandon Baptiste and Reuell Walters, it wasn’t until the final ten days of the transfer window that the Hatters were able to add more new recruits, with free agent Liam Walsh and Cardiff defender Mark McGuinness joining on the same day, followed by German midfielder Tom Krauß two days later.
Then, just before the window closed on Friday, Luton announced the signing of Spanish midfielder Lamine Fanne from Swedish club AIK, though the 20-year-old will remain with the Stockholm outfit until the end of the Allsvenskan season in November, and join Town in January.
Town also sold Ross Barkley to Aston Villa, Chiedozie Ogbene to Ipswich, Ryan Giles to Hull, and John McAtee to Bolton, while Dan Potts, Gabriel Osho, Luke Berry, Fred Onyedinma, Admiral Muskie, Elliot Thorpe and Louie Watson left as free agents, and Allan Campbell, Jack Walton, Dion Perreira and Aribim People left on loan.
Boss Rob Edwards had spoken over the summer of a difficult window and, writing in his programme notes for Friday’s 2-1 Championship defeat at home to QPR, Wilkinson added of the transfer market: “It started late because of the Euros, is fraught with Financial Fair play considerations and, for us, is affected by the fact that we had been in the Premier League with many believing we should be paying more for players given the parachute payment we receive.
“Our whole philosophy is based upon the long-term future of this football club. We have had ‘fly by nights’ in charge of the club the past and the learned that while ‘blowing your brains out’ may have short term benefits, it is more than likely to lead to long-term decline. We see it all around us and won’t get sucked in.
“We love our football club and want future generations to love it too. We will stick to our principles so that it is here for them to enjoy.
“As a board we bleed orange and have hundreds of years of following the club. Of Course, we are ambitious and are still building the club. New stadium, improved training facilities, academy upgrade, additions to the squad all make us more effective and more sustainable.”
Manager Edwards had also talked about how the transfer window had unsettled some, with late speculation around Teden Mengi in particular.
“It has always seemed to me that it is crazy for the window to be open once the season has stared because you really don’t have a settled sad until it closes,” Wilkinson added.
“I’m told the main reason is that it gives those clubs who qualify for UEFA competitions a chance to bolster the squads. That’s a reason for disrupting everyone else?”
And the chairman concluded his notes by quoting NBA basketball Hall of Famer-turned-US-policitican Bill Bradley, writing: “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence issues the vehicle you arrive in.”
