Looking at three midfield options that could push Luton Town to promotion
The Championship season is arduous, where every point is hard-fought, like going toe-to-toe with a boxing heavyweight. Luton Town desperately needs reinforcements in central midfield. With Barkley, Lokonga, and Berry gone, there’s a pressing need to fill these gaps, with Barkley’s departure being the hardest to address. Shandon Baptiste has joined the team, but it’s a widespread belief that we still need one or two more midfielders to strengthen the squad.
From the two preseason games so far it has been noticeable the lack of control we have had in the midfield area: Zak Nelson impressing but showing his youth, Pelly looking lacklustre, Nakamba and Baptiste are absent, but with Jordan Clark looking like his usual self, there is some positive news. With a 46-game league season, the squad will already be playing eight more fixtures compared to last year; squad depth will be key to managing that.
With the plan being to get promoted at the first time of asking, Rob Edwards saying as much himself, dominating the central midfield in our games will be essential. Another factor to consider is that for the first time in a while, teams may be sitting back against us, having adequate ballplayers and carriers will certainly be needed to counteract this.
In Luton fashion, rather than opting for three players who demand stupidly high fees, I will be providing a ‘budget’ striker, a ‘mid-range’ striker who wouldn’t be cheap, nor break the bank, and a ‘premium’ striker who will cost a pretty penny but significantly help.
When reading this name, you might be thinking – ‘I recognise that name’. And you probably do because he started his career in England, with stints at Gillingham, Wigan, Peterborough, and Hull before spending the last three years at Cercle Brugge.
At 25, he’s entering his prime, and with 289 appearances under his belt—169 of those in English competitions (Cups, League One, and Championship)—he brings solid experience. His recent time in Belgium’s top division, often compared to the Championship, should make his transition back to English football smoother.
Cercle Brugge employ a similar 3-4-3 or 5-2-3 system to that of Luton, minus the tactical tweaks, as such he is comfortable playing in a two-man midfield, this predominantly being on the right of the two. Having a player who can understand the inner workings of a system before joining would significantly help with getting him up to speed. Interestingly, the last five games of Brugge’s system saw him playing at left-back, an area in which we require cover for Doughty.
Now, let’s analyse the player directly. A lazy, but fairly accurate comparison would be to that of Kante, at their respective levels of course. While small in stature at 5ft6, Lopes is impressive in the air; winning 3.24 aerial duels per game (93rd percentile) at a rate of 59.8% (77th percentile). Opposition teams are forced long due to Brugge’s high press, Lopes is often capable of winning these battles being in the 77th percentile for tackles in the attacking third. Furthermore, he is excellent at breaking up play, blocking 1.62 passes per 90 (86th percentile) and making 1.92 blocks per 90 (91st percentile).
