Luton Town have parted ways with midfielder Louie Watson after agreeing to terminate his contract by mutual consent.
The 23-year-old, who joined the Hatters in July 2022 under former manager Nathan Jones, has been deemed surplus to requirements by the club, who have endured a torrid opening to the current season.
After joining from Derby County, current boss Rob Edwards handed the former West Ham trainee his full Championship debut in a 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town on January 1, 2023. Watson made nine appearances that season, contributing to Luton’s successful Premier League promotion before being loaned out to League One side Charlton Athletic.
During his time with Charlton, the former Republic of Ireland youth international made 27 appearances, scoring once. However, he found himself out of favour after February 10 under former Luton boss Jones, and didn’t feature in any of Luton’s pre-season games upon his return to Kenilworth Road.
“Louie is someone that is going to need to try and get his football somewhere else this season. We had that conversation from day one in pre-season, and that’s the situation,” Edwards said of the situation. With the transfer window now closed, Watson is free to find a new club as a free agent.
In a statement on their website, Luton Town said: “We have reached an agreement with Louie Watson to release the midfielder from his contract by mutual consent. The 23-year-old was signed from Derby County in the summer of 2022 and made nine appearances in the 22/23 campaign before going on loan to Charlton Athletic last season. We would like to thank Louie for his contribution to our promotion to the Premier League and wish him all the best for his future career.”
As well as his club career, Watson got a couple of caps for England U15 in friendlies against the U.S. before switching to play for the Republic of Ireland at U18 level. In March 2021, he debuted for the Republic of Ireland U21s, playing 73 minutes in a 2-1 away win over Wales. He ended up making five appearances for the U21 side.
Writer’s View
It always feels a bit odd when a player is given a free transfer, especially one with value like Watson. Surely, Luton could have sorted a loan to a League One club, and perhaps made £25,000 on a sale in January? At least that would have guaranteed him regular football, as well as giving them a small return.
The transfer policy at Luton has been a bit muddled this summer – Joe Taylor looked set to leave but has now stayed despite not seemingly being a part of Edwards’ plans. The club have had a horrible start to their life in the Championship as well – is all well at Kenilworth Road? The next few weeks will tell us, one way or another, but whatever happens, Watson won’t be a part of it.
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