Luton Town must push to sign ex-Chelsea player who is smashing it in League One right now | OneFootball

Luton Town should be plotting a move to sign former Chelsea man Charlie Webster from Burton Albion in the January transfer window.

Luton Town are already beginning to show major signs of improvement following the appointment of Jack Wilshere, but the Hatters must not rest on their laurels ahead of their January transfer window, and they should launch a pursuit of Burton Albion midfielder Charlie Webster.

The Hatters came down to League One on the back of back-to-back relegations from the Premier League, meaning that parachute payments are still being paid, and they also have the remnants of a squad that cost a fair bit of money.

Luton’s squad was so impressive that they were the comfortable pre-season favourites for the League One title, but there is an argument that there were simply too many options for Matt Bloomfield and finding some cohesion became a fairly major issue before his dismissal in early October.

Jack Wilshere has been handed his first permanent managerial role and, despite losing to Mansfield Town at Kenilworth Road in his opener, they have now enjoyed four successive victories across all competitions, including a recent 3-0 hammering of league leaders Stockport County at Edgeley Park.

Luton will have licked their wounds and felt sorry for themselves but must now get back to business with re-establishing themselves as genuine title contenders, despite currently sitting just inside the top half of the table.

They should have the financial resources to be able to bully a lot of the division this season and one man they should be lining up for a January move is Charlie Webster.

Luton Town should act quickly to sign former Chelsea and current Burton Albion man Charlie Webster

Having come through the stellar academy at Chelsea, Webster spent a period of time out on loan in the Dutch Eredivisie with Heerenveen for the 2023/24 season, where he managed one goal in 13 total appearances.

So for Burton Albion to initially pick him up in the summer of last year appeared to be a major coup, and so it has proved.

With the aid of manager at the time, Mark Robinson, who had worked with Webster at Chelsea, and following the takeover of the club by Nordic Football Group, the Brewers landed a player in Webster who is establishing himself as one of the very best in League One.

Capable of playing a myriad of roles, but best seen as a box-to-box yet goalscoring midfielder, Webster does appear to be, on a fairly regular basis, a level above where he is currently playing, especially for perennial relegation battlers Burton.

He is gaining a reputation for being a monster presser of the ball, and he is Burton’s most effective player at winning the ball in the final third, doing so 0.6 times per game, which is especially impressive in the more reactive style of play set out by Gary Bowyer.

Playing in a more proactive and front foot team seeking to dominate and overwhelm the opposition would certainly appear very well suited to Webster, and Luton would be just that.

He is also fast becoming an impressive creative asset for a League One club, as Burton's joint-top scorer (four) in the division, whilst also providing the joint-most amount of assists (three).

He has created 20 chances with the six big chances that he has created the joint-most alongside Kyran Lofthouse.

There appears an inevitability about Webster going quite high and perhaps even moving on to the Championship, and a full season at Burton would only heighten those chances.

That is why Luton have to be aggressive and ensure that doesn’t happen by swooping for the 21-year-old in the January transfer window, sensing an opportunity to get in before the competition increases dramatically a few months down the line.

Charlie Webster would fit in well at Luton Town

Jack Wilshere has opted for a flexible setup at the start of his career in Bedfordshire, with Luton playing a 4-4-1-1 that can easily be shifted to a back three with wing-backs when with the ball.

Either way, that leaves open two or three spots in a very competitive midfield where Webster could thrive, and his versatility at being a midfielder of all disciplines would also help him to easily adapt.

The injured Jordan Clark is the current Luton pressing machine, but Webster is certainly someone who can match the former Accrington Stanley man, whilst also providing a higher ceiling in terms of their technical abilities.

Lamine Fanne, George Saville and Liam Walsh is a strong and well-balanced midfield, but Webster, again, would appear to have a higher ceiling than certainly Saville and Walsh, whilst also capable of performing a similar role to all three as the all-action box-to-box man.

Luton have a very strong squad, and they will head into January from a position of strength, albeit still with some things that need ironing out.

Webster wouldn’t necessarily be the solution to a problem but more a fantastic opportunity that, with their wealth, should be pounced upon before it is too late.