Luton Town Braced For Attacker Exit

As reported by Inside Football, Luton Town are preparing for life without Andros Townsend as he nears a move to Turkish side Antalyaspor.

The 33-year-old made 31 outings for the Hatters last season, 27 of those in the top flight, bagging a single goal. He was unable to help keep them in the Premier League, and they exited after a single season. Townsend, who began his career with Spurs, has already featured for them this season, turning out as they were thrashed by Burnley last night.

Manager Rob Edwards is now facing up to life without the player as he nears a move to the Akrepler, who drew their first game of the Super Lig season this weekend. Reports suggest he is travelling to Antalya today for a medical, with a move hoped to be completed this week, in readiness for their game against Besiktas on Sunday.

Townsend joined the Hatters as a free agent, and has had a nomadic career. During his time with Spurs he had nine loans spells at Yeovil, Orient, MK Dons, Ipswich, Watford, Millwall, Leeds, Birmingham and QPR. He finally broke into the Spurs team in the 2013/14 season, winning the first of his 18 England caps in the same campaign.

He’s since played for Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Everton, but the last of his England caps came in 2016. He will leave a Luton side eager to bounce back into the Premier League after their single season among football’s elite, the first since the 1991/92 season when they dropped out of the First Division.

His prospective new employers finished 10th in the Turkish top flight last season and have twice won the title, the most recent time being 1986. They were Turkish Cup runners-up in 2021, and they are coached by former Brazilian international Alexsandro de Souza, known as Alex.

Writer’s View

This is a good chance for Townsend to get some excitement at the end of his career. He’s played all of his senior football in England, so a move abroad in his twilight years makes plenty of sense.

The issue here is the impact on Luton. He only came off the bench last night as a woeful Hatters side was swept aside by Burnley, which suggests he wasn’t going to be a key part of their assault on the top six. Townsend certainly filled a void in the Luton side last season, but it does seem like good business for all if he moves on, taking his wage burden with him.