Luton Town look to capitalise on West Brom player decision | OneFootball

Erik Pieters has played for the Hatters in pre-season, which could signal that a contract offer is on the way.

Erik Pieters appeared in a friendly for Championship side Luton Town yesterday afternoon.

This is according to Luton Today, who revealed that the defender and one other potential trialist made appearances for the Hatters.

Pieters is currently without a club following the end of his time at West Bromwich Albion, who made the decision to release the defender on the expiration of his contract.

With Cedric Kipre yet to sign a new contract at The Hawthorns and Martin Kelly also departing, it may have been good for the Baggies to keep the central defender as a squad option to provide depth for next term.

However, Carlos Corberan moved during the early stages of the summer to address the centre-back area, with Torbjørn Heggem arriving in the Midlands during the latter stages of last month.

Caleb Taylor has also returned from his loan spell at Bolton Wanderers to be a first-team option at The Hawthorns, but it remains to be seen whether the club's business is done in this area.

Pieters, meanwhile, is on the search for a new club following a two-year spell with Albion.

He joined the club following a fairly disastrous end to the summer 2022 window for Steve Bruce, being brought in as a much-needed option at the back and doing an adequate job for the Baggies during his time there.

Luton Town take closer look at Erik Pieters

Luton secured a 3-0 win against League One side Stevenage yesterday afternoon - and a couple of trialists appeared for Rob Edwards' side.

Youngster Vladimir Paternoster appeared for the Hatters, as well as the experienced Pieters, who may be hoping to earn a deal at Kenilworth Road.

With the player currently a free agent, Luton wouldn't need to pay a fee to recruit the Dutchman, who has plenty of experience under his belt during his career, which could come in handy for a side that are keen to secure a Premier League return at the first time of asking.

Luton Town are in need of more options in central defence

The Hatters do have some decent options in central defence.

However, precautions will need to be taken with Tom Lockyer - and there should be no pressure on him to play regularly in the short term.

Mads Juel Andersen, Reece Burke, Tom Holmes and Tegen Mengi are other options, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to add another option in central defence.

Holmes probably isn't going to be one of the first names on the teamsheet straight away, even though he's a player who could potentially start regularly in the longer term.

Mengi, meanwhile, has been linked with a move to Fulham and some centre-back targets may need to be lined up with that in mind.

It's also worth pointing out that Gabe Osho has left the club as well, so recruiting Pieters as an experienced option wouldn't be a bad idea.