Luton Town take a punt at the Premier League

Luton Town are Premier League newcomers this upcoming season, having recently secured promotion from the Championship. This is particularly impressive considering they were in League Two just five seasons ago.

The journey from Championship to Premiership this past season has been particularly exciting, with the team battling through the Championship play-offs to secure promotion, after finishing third in the league table. 

The play-off final was not simply memorable for the fact that Luton Town triumphed over Coventry City via a tense penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after 123 minutes of play, but also because their captain, 28 year old Tom Lockyer collapsed in the eighth minute of the match due to an atrial fibrillation. This makes the Hatters’ victory even more remarkable, as no doubt the team would have been in shock following such an event. Fortunately, not only did the Luton Town squad recover to win the match, but Lockyer has also made a full recovery having had heart surgery to correct the defect that led to his collapse. Doctors have now given him the all clear to continue playing alongside his teammates as they enter the Premiership. 

Luton Town’s success is due in no small part to 40 year old manager Rob Edwards, who took the helm at the club just last November when they were down at tenth in the table after 21 matches. Despite being sacked as rivals’ Watford manager just ten games into the season, he turned out to be just the tonic that the Hatters’ needed, leading them to 14 wins in 25 league games, with a string of 12 consecutive unbeaten away games to bolster their position in the Championship league table up to third, and then through the play-offs where they found success in the final. 

Despite playing a huge part in the club’s success last season, Edwards is self-deprecating about his role at the club, claiming just before the Championship play-off final that ‘anyone’ could have got the Hatters where they did, and taking time to credit the wider management team at Luton Town. Believing that the team’s victory is firmly down to a team effort, Edwards noted that a clear plan, strong recruitment and some savvy thinking is what is needed for Luton Town to continue to progress.

Indeed, as Luton Town look to fortify and uplevel their squad ahead of joining the Premier League at the end of the summer, they recently announced that they had signed Chiedozie Ogbene from Rotherham, in an exciting move. Irish international Ogbene made 136 appearances for Rotherham across four seasons, and scored nine goals for them last season. No doubt Luton Town are hoping that Ogbene will score more than a few goals for them too, in the coming season.

There are also rumours that Luton Town will be signing Bournemouth midfielder Ben Pearson this summer, while Sunderland fans are wildly concerned that Luton are also looking to poach their top striker, Ross Stewart. No doubt there will be more signings to come before the new Premier League season kicks off on 12th August.

It is not only the squad that requires building and improvement prior to the start of the upcoming season, though. It has also recently been reported that the infrastructure around the Kenilworth Road stadium will require upgrading as a result of the club’s new Premiership status. 

Of course, the stadium itself also needs a huge makeover in order to be ready for the Premier League, as the ground currently has a meagre capacity of just 10,356. Works to remodel the Bobbers Stand, which is nestled amongst Victorian housing in the centre of Luton town, began just hours after the Hatters’ win at Wembley. New floodlights and a media area will also need to be installed. 

However, plans are also underway to build a brand new stadium at Power Court, alongside the railway tracks in Luton town centre. This new stadium will have a predicted capacity of 17,000 (expanding to 23,000 if necessary), and it is hoped that works will be completed in 2024. No doubt funds from the Hatters’ Premier League promotion will help to make the dream of a new stadium, a reality.

Luton in Premiere League 2023/24: betting ods

But what are the bookies saying about Luton Town’s chances? Let’s take a look at some of the various Luton Town markets and odds that other bookies are offering.

Bookmaker	English Premier League outright winners 2023/24	Top half finish	To stay up	To be relegated	Welcome Bonus
William Hill	2500/1	20/1	9/4	1/3	external linkExternal links are prohibited
Boylesports	1000/1	20/1	9/4	1/3	external linkExternal links are prohibited
Betfred	5000/1	20/1	9/4	1/3	external linkExternal links are prohibited
888sport	1000/1	N/A	N/A	1/3	external linkExternal links are prohibited
BetUK	3000/1	20/1	N/A	2/5	external linkExternal links are prohibited

If you do not want to put your money on the Hatters to be relegated (let’s face it, unless you are a Watford fan, it seems a bit mean!) then a safer, but still lucrative bet could be on Luton Town to finish in the top half of the premier league, as that has more generous odds of 20/1. If Luton Town can continue with the momentum they have gained since Rob Edwards took the helm, then this outcome could be a very real possibility. 

On the other hand, if you feel Luton Town are more likely to scrape survival in the EPL, then you might prefer a wager on the Hatters to simply stay up and remain in the Premier League for another season. In which case, William Hill and Betfred are currently offering slightly more generous odds on that selection, than their competitors.

Whatever your wager, it will be very interesting to see how Luton Town fare next season, in what promises to be a very exciting year for the English Premier League. Just remember to gamble responsibly to keep the fun going.