Luton Town Agree Deal To Sign £2.5 Million-Rated Midfielder
Luton Town have agreed a deal to sign former Brentford midfielder Shandon Baptiste on a free transfer, according to a report from the Football Insider.
The Hatters were relegated from the top flight last year, accumulating 26 points across the campaign. Although, only positive things can be said about the way manager Rob Edwards went about building his squad. Acquiring top talent from the league below, Luton built what many described to be a Championship super team while being in the Premier League.
Signing players from in and around the EFL, Luton has put trust into all of their in-comings over the years to make the necessary step up. Recent examples of this include former Barnsley defender Mads Andersen, and wing-back Alfie Doughty who previously played his football for Stoke City.
Town have shown no signs of ditching said transfer policy, however as of last season, signing experienced players with a taste of the top flight was imperative in a bid to survive, with both Ross Barkley & Andros Townsend becoming familiar faces on the pitch at Kenilworth Road last season.
Shandon Baptiste is no exception to that, and after Barkley jumped ship to Aston Villa, the former Brentford man could be the one to fill in for the wealth of experience left behind in the middle of the park, despite the latter playing in a deeper role.
The 26-year-old has played 55 matches in the Premier League with the Bees, proving to be a reliable option from the bench during his four-and-a-half-year stint at the GTECH Community Stadium. The Grenadian international would come in needing to fill the boots of the previously mentioned Barkley, fan-favourite Luke Berry, and Albert Sambi-Lokonga who have all left the club this summer.
Baptiste, whose contract expired in West London this week, wouldn’t command a transfer fee. The midfielder is currently valued at around the £2.5 million by Transfermarkt, however a good season under Edwards could easily double that valuation.
Writer’s View:
Luton fans should be excited about this signing, after it was announced Barkley wouldn’t be staying on for another season with the club, it was a must for Town to find that same level of experience that the Englishmen brought to Bedfordshire. This could be due to a fair number of players in their squad not boasting 50+ appearances in either of the top two tiers.
For Baptiste, this move could prove to be a revelation in his career. Despite playing 55 Premier League games over the last two seasons, he’s only been named in the starting lineup on six occasions, giving Thomas Frank fresh legs off the bench in the vast majority of matches he’s featured in.
