5 players to make a genuine Premier League side at Kenilworth Road

Luton Town will compete in England’s top flight for the first time in 31 years, after securing their return with a play-off final win over Coventry City. The 2023/24 season will signal the first time the Hatters have played in the rebranded old first division (the Premier League), and the Kenilworth Road outfit will have their work cut out in trying to ensure top flight survival. A monumental task awaits Luton’s recruitment team in enlisting the aid of the right players that will fuse Premier League experience with exciting young talent. With Rob Edwards at the helm and a tricky, awkward style, who can Luton recruit that will help them turn into a Premier League side?

Cody Drameh

A product of the Fulham youth system, Cody Drameh was spotted by Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds in 2021 and was loaned out to Cardiff the following season. Luton fans fell into the trap of falling in love with a loanee, after Drameh was instrumental in helping them achieve promotion to the top flight during the 2022/23 season. Possessing bags of ability, lightning speed, and a savvy defensive nous, Leeds could certainly do with his services in the Championship next term. That said, according to reports Luton are leading the chase for his signature.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is a player in the company of his own as the only footballer in the football league with a surname that could be mistaken for a wedding venue. The silky midfielder is no stranger to the close, intimate confines of Kenilworth Road, having spent a season on loan at the club during the 2020-2021 campaign. Now a Championship player with parent club Leicester, the former Luton Player of the Season is linked to his ex-club and a return to the top flight.

Andre Ayew

Following two years in the baking Qatari heat, Andre Ayew returned to the Premier League and to the banks of the river Trent, joining Nottingham Forest during the January transfer window. While Steve Cooper’s men secured their survival with two games to spare, Ayew only played a small part, appearing in a string of off-the-bench cameos. The 113-cap Ghana captain, who has been linked to a move to Kenilworth Road, would be a strong acquisition to a Luton squad severely lacking in Premier League experience and pedigree, and his knowledge of the notoriously tough league may prove vital to their survival hopes.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is one of a select few Crystal Palace Academy graduates that could make the step-up and help the Eagles save millions on transfer fees this summer. However, cashing in on the pacy winger’s talents could also help to supplement their transfer budget. After a sublime loan at League One Charlton – he notched up 15 goals and eight assists in the third tier – the logical next step would be a season in England’s second tier, however, Luton Town reportedly have other ideas. The Hertfordshire club deploy a transfer policy focused on recruitment from the lower tiers of English football, a practice that has seen the club ascend to the lofty heights of the pyramid.

Mark Travers

Many a Luton Town fan would have argued goalkeeper Ethan Horvath was the Hatters’ weak link going into their play-off final against Coventry. The on-loan keeper, who has since returned to his parent club Nottingham Forest will unlikely be making a return to Bedfordshire, with Rob Edwards’ side rumoured to be interested in Bournemouth goalkeeper, Mark Travers. The out-of-favour 6 foot 3 shot-stopper is still enjoying the relative infancy of his career at just 24. With plenty of room to improve, international caps to his name, and hotly sought-after Premier League experience, Travers will be a man in demand this summer, with Luton interested according to reports.