Cauley Woodrow: The 3 Luton Town players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

FLW looks at the Luton Town players in need of a big pre-season to avoid being sold this summer

Highlights

Luton Town are back in the Championship after just one season in the Premier League, but there are still plenty of reasons to be positive at Kenilworth Road this summer.

The Hatters put up a good fight in the top-flight, outperforming their fellow newly-promoted clubs Burnley and Sheffield United, and earned plaudits for the way they performed, especially as they were many people's favourites to finish bottom.

Rob Edwards will be looking to make an immediate return to the Premier League this season, and his side are well-placed to do so, particularly with parachute payments meaning they can outspend the majority of their Championship rivals.

With money to spend, Edwards could look to replace existing players at the club this summer, and with this in mind, here are the players who need a big pre-season to avoid missing out on the squad, or could even end up being sold.

Louie Watson

Midfielder Louie Watson joined the Hatters in the summer of 2022, and the 23-year-old faces an important summer if he's to have any sort of long-term future at Kenilworth Road.

Since joining from Derby County in July 2022, Watson has played just nine games for Luton, all of which came during the club's 2022/23 promotion-winning campaign.

The former Republic of Ireland U21 international spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at League One side Charlton Athletic, and he played 27 games in total for the Addicks.

At 23, Watson is at the stage of his career when he needs to be playing regular football, and if he can't force his way into Edwards' squad this summer, he's probably better off leaving on a permanent basis.

However, if the midfielder is able to impress during pre-season training, there could be a chance he plays a part for Luton next season. However, this feels like the last chance for Watson to save his Luton career.

Allan Campbell

Another one of Luton's returning loan brigade, this summer feels like a decisive point for Allan Campbell's Hatters career.

The midfielder joined Luton in the summer of 2021, and he played an important role for the club during their time in the Championship, but he was deemed surplus to requirements following their promotion to the Premier League.

Campbell joined Millwall on loan for the 2023/24 campaign but made just 12 league appearances for the Lions in what was a disappointing campaign.

The one-time Scotland international is set to return for pre-season training in the near future, and he'll be hoping to show Edwards just what he's capable of.

A good pre-season will likely see Campbell add to his 86 Luton appearances, but if he fails to impress he could be shipped out again, just like he was last season.

Cauley Woodrow

Since joining the Hatters in the summer of 2022, striker Cauley Woodrow has been far from prolific, and has scored just six times in his 61 appearances for the club.

This is a far cry from his form at Barnsley, where he scored 53 goals in 157 appearances, and you feel as if this is an important summer for the 29-year-old at Kenilworth Road.

Woodrow featured quite regularly for Luton last season, playing 24 Premier League games, but he started just twice, and found the back of the net just once in the league.

The former Fulham man faces a big couple of weeks ahead, and if he fails to impress in pre-season, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he departed the club this summer.

We know what Woodrow is capable of in the Championship, having scored 46 goals in 213 appearances in the second tier, and he'll be hoping to prove to Luton's coaching staff that he's worth keeping around in the coming weeks.