Goalkeeper Simon Sluga has been tipped to come good in a Luton shirt with coach Kevin Dearden comparing the Croat’s difficult start to life in England with that of Manchester United’s David De Gea.
The Hatters splashed out a club record £1.3million on the stopper in the summer, but a howler in his Championship debut against Middlesbrough and a series of other gaffes, culminating in two decisive blunders at Derby, saw in the international dropped after 11 games, yet to return.
Goalkeeping coach Dearden, who was involved in the recruitment process to sign Sluga, admitted the 26-year-old could have been trying too hard to impress when he was thrust into action from the start of the Championship campaign.
“He came in and the lads will tell you, the first week we thought, ‘he’s unbelievable,’” the former Spurs and Brentford stopper, adding: “But he went in and made a couple of mistakes, then you try too hard and then it gets to you as you really want to do well. In the end he just wanted it too badly.
“He’s so desperate to do well, maybe too much. He’s really desperate to show people what he can do, maybe’s he’s just trying that bit too hard and it tightened him up.”
Sluga was visibly upset with his mistakes at Derby. Including one where he let a backpass roll under his foot and into the net, and Dearden said: “It was really tough. In the dressing room afterwards, I tried to speak to him a little bit, but he was so down.
“He needs to relax a little bit and go with the flow a little bit, he went away to Croatia, that week but when he came back he was still really low.
“I had a chat with him. A goalkeeper’s life, you’re going to make mistakes. Unfortunately for Simon, it has happened when he’s come over and all in a short space of time.
“But sometimes it happens like that, and the best example is David De Gea. Everybody was saying he can never play in the Premier League and now he’s one of the best in the Premier League, so we’ve got no doubt that Simon will come back, but it just takes a little bit of adjusting.”
Talking about the recruitment process that brought Sluga to Luton, Dearden said: “We’d all seen him, he played against us when we were in Slovenia two years ago (for pre-season) and when we were in Slovenia last year.
“I went and watched him against Dinamo Zagreb, so we’d all looked at him. We’d all seen stuff that we really felt would benefit the football club and the club decision was to sign him.
“He likes to play, he’s good with his feet and that was one of the main factors when we were looking to recruit a goalkeeper in the summer, that he has to be good with his feet and he has to want to play.
“Simon is good with his feet, he probably didn’t realise how much pressure he would get with teams pressing, but he’ll adjust.”
Asked what the differences are between Croatian domestic football and the Championship, Dearden said: “I think it’s a slower game (in Croatia).
“He’s probably less involved as regards crosses, shots, goalmouth action, and especially playing from the back.
“They don’t really press, so there’s a bit more time, and really apart from playing Dinamo Zagreb, with a lot of the teams, it’s small ground and small clubs.
“Even coming to Kenilworth Road with 10,000 in a full stadium and then you go to places like Derby and Middlesbrough and all those places we go to, it’s a big change, but he’s an international goalkeeper and he will adapt.
“He’s obviously progressed through Croatian football and international football. So, all the signs are there that he will adapt, but maybe it will just take a bit more time here.”
After Saturday’s 7-0 drubbing at Brentford, boss Graeme Jones could have a series of selection headaches. Current first choice stopper James Shea was involved in a mix-up with Dan Potts for the first goal which started a five-goal first half collapse. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sluga return.
Speaking before the trip to his old club last weekend, Dearden said: “James has come in and done well, but Simon has responded really positively.
“He’s trained really well, played for Croatia and getting his second cap, keeping a clean sheet, will do his confidence the world of good.
“I’m sure we will see the best of him, but sometimes it does take a little bit of time to adjust and as we’re all finding out, the Championship is quite a tough league, an unforgiving league, but I’m pretty certain he’ll come back.
“Obviously we had to take him out for his own good. There is a very good goalkeeper there but we’ve got to get on the training ground, keep working hard, build his confidence up, get him used to the Championship and I’m sure we’ll see the best of him.”
