25-year-old will surely want to leave Luton Town now after triple transfer deal | OneFootball

Tom Holmes' future at Luton Town could be up for debate following the club's latest transfer business.

Tom Holmes’ future at Luton Town has potentially become even clearer following the arrivals of Nigel Lonwijk and Hakeem Odoffin.

The Hatters confirmed the arrivals of the two players alongside the arrival of free agent striker Nahki Wells, as they look to build a team that can immediately win promotion back to the Championship next season.

It was a disappointing year for the club, having gone down from the Premier League the prior campaign as well.

Luton were hoping they could contend for a top six finish, but they fell to 22nd in the table, suffering back-to-back relegations, the first time this happened to a former Premier League side since Sunderland in 2017 and 2018.

So it’s no surprise that fresh faces are being brought on board, with Matt Bloomfield looking to leave his mark on the squad after arriving as manager in January.

Tom Holmes’ Luton future is up in the air

Holmes could now be even further down the pecking order at Luton following the arrivals of Lonwijk and Odoffin.

The former has signed on loan from Premier League side Wolves, with an obligation to buy if certain criteria is met. Whilst the latter joins as a free agent following his departure from Rotherham United, and both will bolster the Hatters’ defensive options as they eye a top two finish this year.

This could all spell trouble for Holmes, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Belgian side FCV Dender EH, departing at the start of February, with Bloomfield’s appointment as manager leading to his temporary departure, having made just18 appearances in the league last season up to that point.

He struggled for game time in Belgium too, playing two more times before the end of the campaign and returning to Kenilworth Road. With Lonwijk and Odoffin now at the club, competition will be even tougher for game time under Bloomfield in League One.

Holmes could opt to stay and try and fight for his place, but the odds looked stacked against him given he was shipped out in January, and these signings are now coming in to provide even more of a stumbling block to getting back into the team.

Instead, the defender will more than likely be looking for the exit door on a permanent basis now, especially as he finds himself back in League One anyway.

Luton Town move hasn’t worked for Holmes

Holmes is still only 25, and has the time to land on his feet elsewhere and carve out a good stint with another club.

The decision to make the switch from Reading to Luton was one that looked smart on paper at the time, however, having joined the club in January 2024.

The Royals were struggling financially, and while the Hatters were on their way to suffering relegation from the Premier League, their remained an optimism around Kenilworth Road that the club were firmly on the path to prolonged top-end Championship/Premier League success moving forward.

He went back on loan with the Berkshire outfit for the remainder of the 23/24 season after agreeing his move in January 2024, and it looked as if he would be a major part of their plans under Rob Edwards upon his return to the club that summer.

It was going okay to start the season at Kenilworth Road, even if results weren’t as impressive as many thought they’d be, but now it looks as if Holmes’ time at the club may as well be over, as it is difficult to envision him playing too regularly next season if he stays.

The Hatters have a host of centre-back options now with the arrivals of Lonwijk and Odoffin, as the likes of Mads Andersen, Mark McGuinness, Teden Mengi, Christ Makosso and Joe Johnson all vying for minutes in the heart of defence.

Therefore, with Holmes now entering the prime years of his career, he will surely want to be playing regular football, and that doesn't appear to be guaranteed for him at Luton Town.