Exclusive: Carlton Morris exit fear at Luton Town raised as Hatters face “big issue”
Lee Hendrie expects there to be plenty of interest this summer for Luton Town forward Carlton Morris.
The Hatters have suffered a second successive relegation, leaving Matt Bloomfield’s team in League One for next season.
Morris scored eight times in the Championship last season, having made 41 appearances, but has previously bagged 11 in the Premier League, as well as 20 in the 2022/23 campaign in which the club gained promotion to the top flight.
The 29-year-old’s future is up in the air following this relegation, with interest likely to arise from teams in the Championship.
Carlton Morris exit verdict
Hendrie expects that relegation to League One will cause uncertainty over players in the Luton squad, with Morris likely to attract interest.
He believes a top team will want to sign someone of his calibre, and has predicted an exit from Kenilworth Road in the upcoming transfer market.
“Luton obviously being relegated is a big issue for who they can keep, and what players they can keep hold of that they have at this current time,” Hendrie exclusively told Football League World.
“But the ones that actually stand out are the likes of Carlton Morris, who personally I think that a Championship club will certainly be looking at him straight away to take his services elsewhere.
“I know that Luton, obviously with that back-to-back relegation they will have that balloon payment that might [help them] to keep certain players there.
“It will be down to preference of playing in League One or playing in the Championship, and obviously depending on what club it could be that he’d go to.
“But you would see one of the top teams looking at Morris’ signature because of what he can produce and what he can bring to the team.
“So, I personally think that, with the relegation situation, we will see him exit in the summer.”
Luton lost 5-3 to West Brom on the final day of the season, leaving them 22nd in the table due to an inferior goal difference compared to Hull City.
Morris sale will be on the cards
Morris didn’t have his best campaign, and fitness issues were obviously a part of that as well, but he is still someone with a proven track record at a Championship level.
The forward even scored 11 times in a struggling Premier League team, so should be able to contribute something at a Championship side.
Given Luton’s relegation, a sale this summer seems quite likely, which will be a blow for Bloomfield.
It’s also a sour note for Morris to bow out with, given the extreme highs that he enjoyed in his first two seasons with the club.
Morris insists Championship relegation is another part of the Luton Town ‘rollercoaster’
Asked if it was the worst moment of his professional career, the striker, who notched eight goals in total, said: “Yes, I guess so, objectively speaking, but my mentality is a bit different. I’m grateful and blessed to be fit, healthy and playing the game I love for a football club that I love. Setbacks happen, much worse setbacks happen than this in regular life, so we just need to galvanise the troops and get our focus onto next season. It’s part of the rollercoaster which is being with Luton Town. It’s not always going to be riding the highs, we’ve got to ride the lows out together as well and bounce back strong.
“I say it’s (the future) bright. I love this football club, it’s given me so much, I will never give up hope on it. It’s a building block, it’s another part in this club’s great history I think, to now go on the front foot and to have a successful season. There’s going to be a grieving period for sure and whatever changes there will be in the building those changes will be in the building. We need to get ourselves together in pre-season, like I know the lads will, the staff will, and make sure next year’s better.”
Having kept the majority of the squad together that gave the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea a real scare in the top flight last term, there is every chance that a number could move on this summer as Town look to rebuild for a season in the third tier. Asked if he felt the squad could be broken up, Morris continued: “Perhaps, that’s not a question I can answer really. You’d have to ask the higher ups about that, but yes, back to back relegation is not something anyone wants on their resume that’s for sure.”
Although Luton had given themselves every chance of staying up, with three straight wins and a run of just six victories and two defeats in 11 going into the finale in the West Midlands, their form prior to that, just seven wins from 34, plus an awful goal difference, meant Town were always in danger of finishing below the dotted line.
About The Author
