Luton Town interest in securing Blackburn Rovers transfer agreement is surely unnecessary: View | OneFootball

It is set to be a summer of change for Luton Town after relegation from the Premier League, with numerous high-profile exits and arrivals likely in the upcoming transfer window.

Rob Edwards' men did better than many expected them to in the top flight, and despite relegation, they scored more goals throughout the season than Wolves, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Sheffield United, and only five fewer than eighth-placed Manchester United.

Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo each netted 10 and 11 top-flight goals respectively, and both are still under contract at the club ahead of a big Championship campaign.

Morris, Adebayo, and fellow Hatters frontman Jacob Brown are all similar profiles of striker - powerful, aggressive, and aerially strong - so it would make sense this summer for boss Edwards to chase a smaller, more pacey centre-forward that could add something different to their ranks.

Luton have instead been linked with Blackburn Rovers striker Sam Gallagher, who has been at Ewood Park since 2019 and recently saw a one-year contract extension triggered to keep him tied down until 2025.

Signing Gallagher would make little sense to Luton at this early stage in the window - they still have similar players in Morris and Adebayo at the club, and he would surely not offer any more than they could as they look to bounce back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

Gallagher is not the right fit for Luton

According to the Express, Luton have placed Gallagher on their attacking wish list for this summer but face competition from Ipswich Town and Swansea City if they wish to pursue his signature.

The Tractor Boys saw three bids for the 28-year-old rejected by Rovers in January as Blackburn insisted he was not for sale – so there is clear demand for him, despite a barren run in front of goal last season.

2023/24 saw Gallagher score the least goals of his five seasons at Ewood Park so far, as he netted just three times in 24 league appearances and missed over three months of the campaign with a calf injury.

He has previously been a consistent scorer for Rovers - 31 goals across 152 Championship games in his previous four seasons is a decent record for a team that finished 11th, 15th, 8th, and 7th in that same period.

With that said, his signing simply does not make sense for Luton this summer, as his 6ft 3in frame and strong aerial prowess make him too similar a forward to that of Morris and Adebayo.

Adebayo has been understandably linked with a move away, but even if he was to depart they still have Brown and Cauley Woodrow, who have a similar play-style to Gallagher, as well as young Joe Taylor, who will be pushing for a place in Edwards' squad after an impressive loan spell at Lincoln City.

Luton need a different kind of striker

Gallagher is also 28, so is older than Morris, Adebayo, Brown, and Taylor, meaning it makes little sense for the future as his value is only likely to depreciate if they were to sign him for a fee this summer.

As opposed to him, Luton should be after a more mobile forward to offer a different option that they did not have in the Premier League last season.

They might not even need to sign a player with that kind of profile - Joe Taylor could be a ready-made option for the Hatters after he netted 11 goals in 25 League Two games for Colchester United in the first-half of the 2023/24 season, then 10 in 19 games for Lincoln in the second half, and will surely have forced his way into Edwards' plans ahead of the new season.

With everything considered, Gallagher's potential signing seems unnecessary - Edwards surely needs an alternative that is a bit quicker and more versatile instead of another target man like him.