Matt Bloomfield simply needs £3m Luton Town transfer to work | OneFootball

Luton sign Norwegian striker Lasse Nordas, hoping his 9-goal Eliteserien form can help them escape relegation

In the frantic race for Championship survival, Luton Town's latest roll of the dice comes in the form of £3m Norwegian striker Lasse Nordås.

For manager Matt Bloomfield, the stakes couldn't be higher – this signing simply has to deliver as the Hatters fight to maintain their second tier status.

Luton’s form makes for miserable reading.

Under Bloomfield, the Hatters have drawn two and lost two games in the Championship, and their prognosis is also unsettling: three of their upcoming six league games come across the top six. As it stands, they are winless since the 20th December - a 2-1 home win over fellow relegation battlers Derby County.

Goalscoring is an evident issue.

Across the eight games since their last victory, the Hatters have found the back of the net just seven times. The team is desperate for a remedy to their woes in front of goal - and Matt Bloomfield’s new acquisition must hit the ground running, or face the increasingly likely double relegation.

The Lasse Nordås Gamble

Luton Town's eighth January signing brings both European pedigree and promising statistics to Kenilworth Road. T

he 22-year-old arrives from Tromsø after netting 13 goals in 47 appearances, including an impressive 2024 campaign that saw him score 11 times across all competitions.

His recent Eliteserien form offers particular encouragement – nine goals and three assists in 28 games, with underlying numbers suggesting sustainable performance.

A return of 0.42 goals per 90 minutes, backed by an xG per 90 of 0.46 and 1.30 shots on target per game, indicates a striker ready to make the step up.

However, Bloomfield's cautious notes about managing Nordås's integration highlight the delicate balance the club must strike. "This is his off-season, so we've got to be careful with him and build him up slowly," the Luton boss acknowledged, while praising the "potential" and "goals at the top of the pitch" that his new signing brings.

The presence of fellow Norwegian U21 teammate Thelo Aasgaard, who recently made his debut after joining from Wigan Athletic, could prove crucial in helping Nordås adapt swiftly to English football.

Matt Bloomfield's search for a striker

The need for fresh attacking impetus is clear when examining Luton's current striker situation. Experienced frontman Carlton Morris, despite leading the line admirably with seven goals and two assists, has shown signs of the burden he's carrying.

His return of 0.31 goals per 90 from an xG of 0.29 suggests he's performing as expected, but the workload across 27 appearances hints at the need for support.

Elijah Adebayo has been a shadow of himself following Luton’s relegation from the Premier League. His five goals have come despite posting promising underlying numbers – his 0.50 xG per 90 and 2.27 shots per game indicate a striker getting into good positions but perhaps lacking the clinical edge needed.

Neither forward's creative numbers (Morris 0.09 assists per 90, Adebayo 0 assists) suggest they're able to regularly create for others.

Luton's survival stakes

The stakes for Nordås's success couldn't be higher.

Luton sit 23rd in the Championship with 27 points, their -19 goal difference a telling indicator of their struggles at both ends of the pitch. Just two points from safety, the threat of successive relegations looms large over Kenilworth Road.

Despite a flurry of January activity – with Nordås being their seventh winter window arrival – the anticipated new manager bounce under Bloomfield has yet to materialise.

The Norwegian's arrival carries the weight of not just stopping the rot, but potentially preventing one of English football's most dramatic falls from grace.

For both Bloomfield and Luton, Nordås simply has to work.