Boss Matt Bloomfield has insisted that Luton Town are under no pressure to sell players amid reported transfer interest in midfielder Lamine Fanne.
The Spaniard – who through concussion only featured in the first game of pre-season when he bagged a brace against Borehamwood – played for the under-21s today alongside seven first-team squad members players striving to boost their fitness.
Reports today have also emerged that Coventry, Union Saint-Gilloise, Empoli and Basaksehir have turned their attentions to Fanne but that the Hatters see him as a key part of their squad and are keen to keep him.
And, despite two relegations in a row, Bloomfield has made clear the Hatters are not in a position where they need to cash in, with just under a month of the transfer window left open.
“If there’s someone who I really want to keep and the money that’s on offer for them isn’t right, then we don’t need to sell,” the manager said. “We’re not desperate to sell. We’re not trying to sell players. But we’re also aware that we’re a club that’s evolving and there’s players that will be desired elsewhere.
“If a player, as we’ve had a few times already, expresses a desire to join the club that has bid for them and if the money is correct, for us, then we’ll be respectful in our work. But if it’s someone who doesn’t necessarily want to leave, the money’s not right or we absolutely don’t want to lose them, then we don’t have to do that either.”
Despite the lack of minutes this summer, the 21-year-old caught the eye during Luton’s summer friendly opener, with Bloomfield highlighting Fanne’s potential in no uncertain terms.
“Anyone who’s at Borehamwood for the first game saw quite some player that he’s going to be for us,” he said. “It was really unfortunate – the first day we were in Slovenia, he got a really bad concussion and we missed him for three weeks.”
That setback came at the worst possible time, robbing Fanne of valuable minutes and tactical integration in pre-season, something Bloomfield acknowledged has slowed his momentum, though he got 23 minutes as a substitute in Town’s League One opening win against AFC Wimbledon on Friday night.
“He’s now just getting himself going again. It’s three weeks of education, it’s three weeks of team cohesion that, unfortunately, through no one’s fault, Lamine’s missed out on. So yeah, he’s done 45 minutes last week. He had a few minutes Friday night. He’s done 60 minutes too – he’s getting a lot closer to being back to the fit and at-it player that we know he can be.”
Bloomfield remains convinced that Fanne’s ceiling is high – though cautioned that development will take time.
“He’s only young and he’s not played loads and loads of football professionally, so we do need to be patient with him as well and allow him time to develop because he’s far from the finished article. But he’s got a really high ceiling.
“When he drives from midfield, his physicality and athleticism – he’s now looking to start offering a goal threat as well. So yeah, we’re really excited about Lamine, and we’re really gutted and disappointed that, unfortunately for us, the concussion meant he missed such a big period of pre-season.”
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