Hatters captain confident Town will get their recruitment right this summer

Centre half on team-mate Pearson's exit from Kenilworth Road
Town captain Sonny BradleyTown captain Sonny Bradley
Town captain Sonny Bradley

Luton skipper Sonny Bradley is confident that the Hatters will get it right with their summer recruitment once more this transfer window.

There is an air of change surrounding the squad after a season in which the Hatters finished in a brilliant 12th place, with stalwarts Matty Pearson and James Collins leaving the club, heading to Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City respectively.

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Attacking midfielders George Moncur and Kazenga LuaLua have both left as well, neither offered a contract extension, with long-serving Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu’s future still not assured, as he is mulling over a new deal.

Boss Nathan Jones has been busy already though, bringing in Wycombe Wanderers attacker Fred Onyedinma and then signing centre half Reece Burke from Hull City yesterday.

Speaking ahead of Burke’s arrival, Bradley felt the club were in good hands as usual, saying: “It’s going to be hard replacing Matty, but ever since I’ve been at this football club, the recruitment has been first class.

“For what we have to work with, we have to be realistic, and every window we seem to do good business.

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"So I have no doubt that the recruitment team again will already have players lined up and will bring in some real quality to challenge for places next season."

When asked specifically about losing his central defensive partner in Pearson, who along with Bradley played key roles as Town won the League One title and then ensured Luton remained a Championship side, the captain continued: "It’s just a case of moving on.

"It’s not always easy as you do build up these relationships and you’d have seen over the last three years, me and Matty at times have played really, really well together and we’ve put down a good foundation to go and win games.

“It’s disappointing to see him go, but it’s time to move on and I’m sure the club will look at replacing Matty if they can and we might have to start building new relationships, but that’s natural in football.

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“Matty being a free agent this summer, he had an option to go and he probably thinks he can go and improve his career by moving and I hope he does that as he certainly deserves it.

"We’ve got good centre halves in the building at the minute.

"I know Tom Lockyer’s been a bit disappointed this season through injury, but when Tom’s played and I’ve played with Tom, he’s been really, really good, really strong.

“We’ve seen it a lot this season though, we have got players in our team that are diverse, that can play in different positions, like Glen (Rea), like Kal (Naismith), like Dan Potts and we’re going to need that again next season.

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Bradley himself is staying put at Kenilworth Road, having agreed a new deal with the club to extend his stint in Bedfordshire since arriving in 2018.

He wasn’t being kept abreast of just who was coming in over the summer though, neither did he expect to be, adding: “The manager can’t tell you too much about individual players, I don’t think that is fair anyway on the players but he doesn’t need to.

“Like I said, every window, the recruitment team do a fantastic job and I have no doubt they will do the same again.

“For me, it is just about sitting back and going on my social media and finding out who we are bringing in.”