Priceless. That is the term Nathan Jones used to describe striker Elijah Adebayo after he played a pivotal role in the win over Middlesbrough, one he doubled down on when discussing the forward at the recent ‘Meet the Manager’ evening.
He certainly isn’t wrong is he? The Fulham Academy product hasn’t even been with the Town for 12 months yet but already he has transformed our attacking prowess into something exciting.
We don’t know what the Hatters paid Walsall to bring the 23-year-old to Kenilworth Road, although rumours at the time suggested the undisclosed fee was in the £250,000 bracket, but what we do know is that, even this early in his Luton career, the striker is going to break our record transfer fee received when he finally does move on. But there’s no need to worry about that at the moment.
I interviewed Elijah for the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust Podcast back in March and it was immediately apparent that he is a player with a strong sense of belief in his ability, which you have to have to make it at the top, but a humble attitude that would allow him to learn and improve.
We have seen that with our own eyes. Granted, he has been placed into a system which brings the best out of his ability, and he was given the chance to shine at this level perhaps earlier than might have been planned, but the improvement in his game in the 10 months he’s been here has been very promising.
Rather than the raw forward which arrived, we now have a player who knows how to position his body to hold defenders off and protect the ball, where to attack inside the box to get the goals strikers love to score. But he’s also a player who is selfless in pressing defenders in order to win the ball high up the pitch.
To make those strides at any time would be impressive, but to do it at a time when the Town were preparing to transition beyond a man who was so important to all of our success, in James Collins, just speaks wonders of his character.
Elijah is priceless because if he is making such huge strides in 10 months, how good is he going to be this time next year, and the same again come November 2023? All the time he is improving he is only adding to a potential transfer fee that is rocketing up at a rate of knots.
The other reason why he is priceless is because his progression has been so incredible that the gulf in quality between he and any replacement when he isn’t available is far too vast for comfort. We saw that when he was forced off against Hull City recently and again at Preston. Until that gap is closed, Adebayo will be close to indispensable for us.
Priceless was a strong term from the boss, thankfully so because with the style we have transitioned into, Elijah is absolutely massive for us. So far, when he scores, Luton do not lose and hopefully he keeps improving and remains a Hatter for a long time to come!
