The players Luton Town should fear multi-million pound bids coming in for this January | OneFootball

FLW looks at three Luton Town players who could be targeted in January

After a solitary season in the Premier League, Luton Town's return to the Championship has been far from ideal.

The recent upward trajectory at Kenilworth Road had been well documented, as Rob Edwards finished the fairytale journey which saw the Hatters reach the top flight just nine years after the club were promoted out of the National League.

However, after a season that saw them so often prove a stern test for numerous big-hitters in the top flight, the expectation levels in Bedfordshire upon their relegation back to the second tier were high, with many outsiders predicting yet another promotion bid but they've struggled to live up to the billing so far.

Despite the fact that only seven new signings were made in the summer, Edwards was able to retain the core of his side which had experienced promotion against Coventry City at Wembley two seasons ago.

This includes the strike partnership of Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo, Jordan Clark, Marvelous Nakamba, and Reece Burke, whilst subsequent additions such as Thomas Kaminski, Jacob Brown and Mark McGuinness also provide a wealth of Championship know-how.

Regardless of an inconsistent first half of the season, the quality in the squad means that it wouldn't be a surprise if the Hatters braced themselves for some January bidding wars.

And with that being said, Football League World has pinpointed those who fall into said category.

Elijah Adebayo

The first of those comes in the form of the 26-year-old striker Elijah Adebayo.

Adebayo's own career has had numerous similarities to the trajectory of his current employers, having spent numerous seasons in League Two before being acquired by Nathan Jones for a reported £250,000 from Walsall in 2021.

After acclimatising to life as a Championship striker fairly well in the early months of his career with Luton, Adebayo has since asserted himself as one of the club and division's main goal threats, registering 33 goal contributions between August 2021 and May 2023 as the Hatters broke into the play-off mix.

Furthermore, the powerful centre-forward earned even more credit for his efforts to keep the club in the Premier League with 10 goals in just 27 appearances, which included a hat-trick against Brighton and Hove Albion.

It was reported in August by The Sun that Luton valued the 6"4 man in the region of £15-20m as Everton were said to have made him a prime target this January as a result of Dominic Calvert-Lewin's persistent injury setbacks, as well as Crystal Palace also having the striker on their radar.

Despite Luton's inconsistencies thus far, Adebayo has remained somewhat of a potent goalscoring threat, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him targeted in the coming weeks.

Alfie Doughty

Following on from Adebayo is the highly-rated wing-back Alfie Doughty.

Since signing from Stoke City in the summer of 2022, the 24-year-old has arguably been Luton's most consistent performer, which saw him play an integral part in the club's promotion-winning season with two goals and five assists, before going on to gain several admirers in the Premier League.

After accumulating two goals and eight assists in the top flight and attracting subsequent interest from the likes of Brentford and Crystal Palace, it was reported by Alan Nixon that the Hatters had placed a £15m valuation on his shoulders.

Just weeks later, it was revealed that the dynamic performer had penned a contract extension, the length of which was undisclosed, which in some people's view, could have been a relief amid the well-documented Premier League interest.