Nathan Jones makes transfer claim regarding Luton Town player amid previous Newcastle United interest | OneFootball

Luton Town boss Nathan Jones has stated that star striker Elijah Adebayo will not be cashed in on this summer following his best goalscoring season yet in English football.

The 24-year-old has proved to be a bargain buy since his January 2021 arrival at Kenilworth Road from League Two outfit Walsall for a fee of around £250,000, scoring five times in his first half-season with the Hatters.

Adebayo then became the club’s talisman for the 2021-22 campaign, netting 16 times in 41 league appearances as they made it to the Championship play-offs, narrowly losing out to Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals.

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In a surprise twist during the most recent January transfer window, Adebayo was scouted by moneybags Premier League side Newcastle United, but the Magpies did not make a move for the towering striker in the end.

Perhaps anticipating some interest in the Fulham academy graduate, Hatters manager Jones believes the best place for Adebayo next season is Kenilworth Road.

“He will be here – Elijah will be here,” Jones told BBC Sport Three Counties.

“We believe that he’s on the road to progression, so any offers now would need to be at a level that they’re probably not going to be because he’s not at his ceiling with us yet.

“We believe he’s effectively 16 months into being with us, you saw a significant improvement over time here – yes he picked up an injury late on but what we want to do this season is give him that little bit of help, because we were very reliant on him in an out of possession, so that we keep him fresh and more durable.”

The Verdict

Adebayo has climbed the EFL pyramid very quickly, from being a striker that sometimes covered as a centre-back in League Two to being a leading talisman in the second tier.

He is a rare commodity in the sense that despite being a towering target man, Adebayo possesses a good turn of foot as well.

That is why he will be no doubt wanted by other clubs this summer – perhaps tentatively – but it would take something silly to make Luton sell.

Partnering Adebayo up with Cauley Woodrow is a mouth-watering prospect and it has only strengthened Luton’s hand going into the 2022-23 season – they will want to keep Adebayo at all costs.