Luton Town midfielder Thelo Aasgaard has completed a permanent move to Scottish giants Rangers, the club confirmed today.
The 23-year-old Norwegian, who joined the Hatters in January from Wigan Athletic, heads to Ibrox for an undisclosed fee after just half a season at Kenilworth Road.
Aasgaard arrived in Bedfordshire from League One side Wigan, having risen through their academy ranks following an early spell at Liverpool. Despite only making 17 Championship appearances for Luton, the creative midfielder made a notable impression, scoring memorable goals – including the winner at Cardiff and the opener in a 3-1 win over Bristol City.
His strong performances not only endeared him to Luton fans but also caught the eye of the Norway national team, where he earned a senior call-up and scored on his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova.
Manager Matt Bloomfield expressed mixed emotions over the departure, saying: “It’s bitter-sweet. We are obviously disappointed to see Thelo go, but unfortunately, after our relegation, there was an air of inevitability that he would be highly-sought after.”
Bloomfield explained that the January deal to sign Aasgaard included a rare conditional release clause that would be triggered only in the event of relegation to League One – a clause that Rangers have now activated.
“In order to sign him in January we agreed to a conditional release clause – something that this club has only ever done in exceptional circumstances – which only got triggered in the event we played League One football this season,” Bloomfield revealed to the club’s website.
“This meant the move was entirely his choice and if it wasn’t for his international manager’s comments, that he needed to be playing at a certain level of football to go to the World Cup, we may have been able to persuade him to stay.”
Bloomfield believes Aasgaard’s departure is a testament to the club’s ability to develop talent, saying:
“I think we should be filled with pride, because we’ve taken a boy from League One and he’s now off to a huge club who will be playing in the Champions League qualifiers.”
He also paid tribute to Aasgaard’s professionalism throughout his time at Luton:
“I’d like to thank Thelo as well, because he’s been great for us. He’s acted with integrity for every moment he’s been with us and on the way out too, he’s been a diamond of a boy.”
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