“Has the desired qualities to thrive” – Luton confirm former Sheffield United player as signing number six: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Luton Town have confirmed the signing of former Bristol City, QPR and Sheffield United midfielder Luke Freeman.

The 30-year-old, who admitted in his first interview as a Hatter that Nathan Jones succeeded in his third attempt of trying to sign him, saw his Blades contract expire at the end of last month.

Training with the Hatters since the first day of pre-season, Freeman is making good progress after a season hindered by injuries.

Jones made it no secret that he had been wanting a left-footed midfielder this summer, with Freeman not just fitting that rather broad criteria but offering a quality option within that too.

Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts regarding the addition of the exciting midfielder and whether he can see regular first-team minutes at Kenilworth Road during the upcoming campaign…

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Billy Mulley

Freeman was near to completing a loan move to Kenilworth Road in January, with Jones finally getting his man – a player he knows very well after playing and coaching him at Yeovil Town.

Fitting the bill as an excellent left-footed midfielder who will provide quality in the final third, Freeman also has the desired qualities to thrive in Bedfordshire.

This will perhaps abruptly end their pursuit of Jack Rudoni and Conor Hourihane, whilst it also acts as an indicator that Robert Snodgrass will not be returning, although it does not completely rule out any of these potential moves.

Luton now possess real quality in an attacking capacity, with Cauley Woodrow, Alfie Doughty and Louie Watson bolstering competition levels within the squad even further.

It is an exciting time for Luton fans ahead of the new campaign, and with Freeman arriving too, they will be setting their sights on surpassing last season’s play-off semi-final loss.

As for whether or not he can emerge as a regular starter, only time will tell, with the Hatters possessing lots of exciting options in midfield and attacking areas, especially if Woodrow is deemed as more of a number 10.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

He would certainly be a viable option, but the Hatters have lots of choice in the midfield areas.

Although largely due to injury, we saw the likes of Robert Snodgrass, a natural winger, starting in the midfield last term, and Freeman has previously shown he is a fine operator at Championship level, so you’d have to think he has a chance.

Much could depend on where Jones sees Freeman as playing.

The 30-year-old has operated centrally and on the left for the majority of his career, so depending on where he will play for Luton, it’s tough to determine whether or not he is a guaranteed starter.

Certainly, he has the quality to be, but whether or not that will be the case remains to be seen.

Marcus Ally

Freeman has struggled for regular game time in the last three seasons due to injuries and competition for places, which make it difficult to envisage him being a reliable player to start week in week out for the Hatters.

As their squad looks at the moment, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and Allan Campbell are guaranteed starters in midfield, potentially leaving one spot up for grabs between Henri Lansbury and Freeman.

Jones will need a deep squad to cope with the relentless fixture list, particularly in the build-up to the World Cup, to avoid having to deploy players out of position as much as he was forced to do in 2021/22.

Before signing for Sheffield United in the summer of 2019, the 30-year-old was one of the best midfielders at the level, and Jones will believe that he can coax those performances levels back out of him in the upcoming season.