Nathan Jones believes the days are numbered for Luton losing their best young prospects, like Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis, in the wake of what the manager calls a “massive” decision that will help elevate the club’s academy status.
The full backs made their name at Norwich, but were youngsters with the Hatters, in the same Under-11s age group that won the Aarau Masters European title back in 2009 alongside homegrown hero James Justin.
But they both left Luton and were then snapped up by the Canaries, with Lutonian Lewis becoming a Northern Ireland international and joining Newcastle this summer in an initial £15million deal, while Aarons is a reported target for Barcelona.
And, since Town’s plummet into non-league in 2009, and subsequent five-year stay, there have been a series of starlets that left Town and went on to join Premier League and Championship clubs before making it to Luton’s first team.
But the club was last night granted permission to build a domed training facility on Cutenhoe Road that will enable their academy to gain Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) Category 2 status, and entry into the Premier League’s under-23 development games programme.
“It’s absolutely everything. It’s massive,” said Jones of the prospects for Town’s youth set-up, adding: “By us having under-23s and that Cat 2, it protects us, so the likes of Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons may still be at this football club. Others, who were in the football club, came though and literally decided they were first team players before they actually were. Those ones it doesn’t affect.
“We’d have loved to have kept Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons here so that we could develop them, like a James Justin.
“Others who did come through the youth team and felt that they were better than what we had in the first team, those ones it won’t affect.”
Famed for bringing players through their ranks throughout the decades, it’s remarkable the amount of players that Luton have developed over the years. But in the last ten years, they’ve seen numerous prospects depart, including Cauley Woodrow (Fulham), the Dasilva brothers Jay, Cole and Rio (Chelsea). Tarum Dawkins and Charlie Patino (Arsenal), Dave Moli (Liverpool), Janoi Donacien (Tottenham), Akin Famewo (Norwich), Tyreeq Bakinson and Freddie Hinds (Bristol City), Cameron McJannett (Stoke) and Arthur Read (Brentford).
Asked if improved academy status will stop that leakage and help the club retain young talent, Jones said: “In certain instances. In some instances, those players didn’t want to be at this football club. They wanted to go elsewhere because they saw a different pathway, rightly or wrongly.
“We made decisions for us and I don’t think we made a bad decision. Others can go on and do whatever they want but, at the time, we made good decision for our football club.
“So, it enables us to have a games programme and a little longer to develop, so it will. Fundamentally, we want players here that want to play for Luton. If anyone comes out and said, ‘we shouldn’t have done this or that’, yeah we should have.
“It was 100 per cent correct in every single decision we’ve made and we’ve gone from League Two to the Championship, so we’ve made good decisions.
“But it will enable us to maybe ask certain players to have a little bit more patience, that see themselves, not above their station, but where they are. It may now give them that patience to come and play and to develop, and then to get in Luton’s first team, which is a wonderful place to be.”
And rather than seeing starlets snapped up by Premier League outfits, there could be potential for players to move in the opposite direction.
Jones said: “We can also attract different players, younger players that have not been good enough for whoever it is, Chelsea, Arsenal or whatever and now we can give them an opportunity, because we might be able to recycle them.
“So, it opens up a whole new world for us and it’s a really good decision. The powers that be, we thank them for being sensible, logical and making the right decision because there’s no down side to this.”
But after securing planning permission for a new 17,500-seat stadium at Power Court, last night’s decision by Luton Council is another off-the-field success for Luton Town Football Club, aimed at making the them sustainable, while also helping them to compete against clubs that have more resources.
Jones said: “It’s planning permission, but Luton needs things like this. It needs a new stadium, it needs Newlands Park development. It needs a dome that can not just be used for our academy but schools and so on.
“This football club has done wonderful and is part and parcel of the community. The fact that it’s got through is just a logical, sensible, very, very good decision, and if all people made those decisions, I’m sure this country would be in a far better position.”
