Hatters chief insists ex-Everton and Newcastle winger's new contract is an 'amazing signing' for Luton

Luton chief Rob Edwards described the news that winger Andros Townsend has agreed to put pen to paper on a new long term contract with Luton as an ‘amazing signing’ for the Hatters.

The 32-year-old had hinted that a deal was close when speaking after the 3-2 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, his 11th outing since joining on a free transfer back in October. With the news made official this evening though, then discussing the fact he can continue working with the former Spurs, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Everton attacker, who was sidelined for 18 months with a serious cruciate injury before moving to Kenilworth Road, Edwards said: “It’s an amazing signing for us. Andros has come into the group with real humility and professionalism. He’s shown the whole group what it means to be elite and a top-end pro.

“His fitness levels have been insane, and he’s shown more and more his qualities with every game. For us to be able to tie him down to a longer-term contract is a credit to him – he’s been through a tough time, and it says a lot about him as a person. I also think it says a lot about the ambitions of this football club that we’re signing people like Andros, with his level and quality, so it’s a big, big signing for us."

Discussing just what it had been like playing under Edwards when speaking to talkSPORT recently, Townsend added: “He’s been fantastic, for me personally, but as a team too. The way first and foremost he’s got us in a great shape, he's got us working from a base. We know what we’re good at, we know what we’re about, but to then say in the last few weeks, no we’re not happy just being here, we want to compete, we want to take the game to the opposition. To set his team out to press high up the pitch and to take the game to some of the best sides in Europe is incredible. Hopefully we take belief from it and keep doing it.”