Luton Town: Matt Bloomfield told to make Jerry Yates decision - he's "too good for League One" | OneFootball

Jerry Yates is playing League One football for the first time since netting 20 in the 2020/21 campaign

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Luton Town completed arguably one of the signings of the summer for League One before they kicked off the new season against AFC Wimbledon, as they confirmed the arrival of Jerry Yates.

The Hatters have been reported to have parted ways with a "seven-figure fee" to bring the former Swansea City man to Kenilworth Road, and with his track record in League One, you can clearly see why.

The 28-year-old's last venture into the third tier came five seasons ago, when he scored 20 in 44 league games, plus one more in the play-offs, as he helped Blackpool win promotion. Since then, he's played nearly 40 games a season in the Championship, scoring in double figures in two of the last four seasons.

Alongside 35-year-old Nakhi Wells, Matt Bloomfield has a strikeforce that most Championship clubs would be happy with, but with only one striker in the Luton system currently, there may be some healthy competition up front.

Simon Mills, FLW's Luton fan pundit, believes that Wells may need to drop back into an attacking midfield role if Bloomfield's 3-4-2-1 formation sticks around, as he strongly feels that Yates should be the first name on the teamsheet for the remainder of the season.

Luton Town fan pundit gives game time demand for Jerry Yates

When asked by Football League World whether he feels that Yates should be the starting striker at Kenilworth Road, Mills' answer was emphatic: "Absolutely.

"Yates should be starting as many games as he physically can," Mills continued.

"He's too good for League One football and I think we've done an excellent job in convincing him to drop down and hopefully fire in the goals which will get us promoted back to the Championship at the first time of asking."

At 28, Yates is entering what many believe to be the 'prime years' of his career, and off the back of four straight seasons playing regularly in the Championship, many are expecting him to hit the ground running in the third tier, especially under Matt Bloomfield, who brought the best out of Richard Kone last season at Wycombe Wanderers in that number nine roll.

However, Luton have also brought in Nakhi Wells, who himself was the starting striker for the Bristol City side who finished in the Championship's top six last season, and later on in the season they should be able to welcome back Elijah Adebayo, who underwent ACL surgery back in April.

If Bloomfield continues with the 3421 system used against AFC Wimbledon then there's space for only one striker to start per game, but that could change, and Mills believes that Wells' stamina and durability - despite being towards the back-end of his career - could lead to both him and Yates playing together in the same side this season.

Simon added: "I think Yates and Wells can complement each other in the team at the same time.

"Having watched Nakhi in his early games for Luton, he's still got the legs, and he's still moving well. I feel that he and Yates can bounce off each other well.

"I really do hope that Yates can fire in the goals to get us up."

Luton Town aren't messing about with their promotion goals

In a journey which started in the National League a little over a decade ago, the Hatters have reached the heights of the Premier League, and now find themselves almost levelled out in League One.

However, those associated with Luton don't want the third tier to become their level. They want to make their stay in League One as short as possible, and they're doing their best in the window to ensure that happens.

The Hatters were slow out of the gates in their opening day win against a resolute Wimbledon side, but you'd expect that, in the weeks to come, as more players are brought in and are given the time to settle into the squad, Bloomfield's team will be a force to be reckoned with.

With Yates, Luton have brought a serviceable Championship frontman, who you can rely on for 10+ goals across a season in the second tier. In League One, the sky truly is the limit for him, and with the amount of creativity around him, there's no doubt that he'll find himself towards the top end of the goalscorers charts for the term.