Luton Town hit the jackpot with free agent signing in 2021: View | OneFootball

Luton Town hit the jackpot with the free signing of Amari'i Bell back in the summer of 2021

Key Takeaways

Luton Town surprised Championship supporters up and down the country when they landed a second tier play-off spot at the end of the 2021/22 season under the stewardship of former boss Nathan Jones, before losing at the semi-final stage to Huddersfield Town.

However, the resilient Hatters squad were not damaged by this setback and went on to shock the footballing world just a year later when they earned their spot in the Premier League via a play-off final penalty shoot-out win over Coventry City just nine years after winning promotion from the National League to the Football League.

Rob Edwards' men were relegated from the top-flight at the first time of asking but they captured the hearts of their nation due to their admirable fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, versatile defender Amari'i Bell has played a central role in the Hatters' success in recent years, having arrived in Bedfordshire on a free transfer back in the summer of 2021.

Hatters struck gold with Bell transfer

When the Hatters signed Bell as a free agent, following the expiration of his contract with former club Blackburn Rovers, the Kenilworth Road outfit could not have expected this deal to be so successful.

During his first season with Town, Bell made 43 Championship outings, helping his new club land an unlikely play-off spot, and the Jamaica international also appeared in both legs of Luton's play-off semi-final clash with Huddersfield Town, which sadly ended in defeat for then manager Jones and co.

Bell was then a central figure during the 2022/23 second-tier season, in which the Hatters went one better and completed their footballing fairytale by reaching the Premier League as they won the play-offs.

Throughout that historic campaign, the former Fleetwood Town man was a rock at the back for the Hatters, as he made 40 successful tackles, won 234 duels, and made 47 interceptions, according to FotMob.

The centre-half, who has also played for Edwards' men at left-back and left-wing-back, then went on to make 21 Premier League outings for the Kenilworth Road outfit, further demonstrating his class.

Blackburn will regret letting Bell leave for free

While the Hatters were undoubted beneficiaries of Bell's Ewood Park departure, as they picked up a quality defender for free, it is a decision his former club must now regret.

In his first season after leaving the Lancashire outfit, Bell finished in the play-offs with the Hatters, while Rovers finished in eighth place, just six points behind the sixth place spot the Bedfordshire side landed.

With hindsight, it could be argued that the presence of the Jamaica international was a deciding factor as to why Jones' side were able to finish in the top six above Rovers, while his performances in recent years also demonstrate he could have fetched a decent transfer fee, had his former club sold him before the expiration of his contract.

Bell then went on to claim a Premier League spot with the Hatters, a previously unfathomable achievement, while his former side narrowly missed out on the play-offs once again, this time being denied a top-six spot by Sunderland on goal difference.

The Hatters then played in the top flight, with Bell appearing during the majority of fixtures, while Rovers have not ventured into the top tier since their relegation from the Premier League in 2012.

Snapping up the defender on a free transfer in 2021 has proven a masterstroke from the Hatters, who will hope he can contribute to more success at Kenilworth Road.