Hatters manager Matt Bloomfield would not comment on any rumors that his new team is linked to striker Richard Kone, one of his former charges at Wycombe Wanderers.
Brightfield signed the 21-year-old from Athletic Newham of the Essex Senior League 12 months ago, and after scoring four goals in 21 games in his debut season, the forward has scored 17 goals this season, for a total of 21 goals in 56 games.
Kone has been linked to several Championship clubs during the January transfer window, including the Hatters, where Bloomfield currently stands after former manager Rob Edwards left. When asked if the forward was someone he was considering, the former Chairboys manager responded, “I believe I made a comment a couple of weeks ago about other managers talking about my players then and asking them not to as I feel like it’s disrespectful, so I feel like for respect I shouldn’t talk about Wycombe’s players.”
We’re going to do the best we can, and that’s probably what I should say.
I’m not going to start talking about their players because I don’t think it’s respectful for them as a club; I just don’t think it’s the right way to go; we should focus on ourselves. That’s for others to discuss.
With Bloomfield having been appointed as Luton boss just a week ago, he came in to find the Hatters having signed Isaiah Jones for an undisclosed fee from second tier rivals Middlesbrough, with striker Joe Taylor also being sold to Huddersfield Town, netting on his debut in a 2-2 draw at Blackpool on Saturday.
Although Town have a dedicated recruitment team that is headed up by chief recruitment officer Mick Harford, on whether he will be involved in bringing targets to them, or requesting a position he wants to see strengthened and getting a list of potential players they find instead, Bloomfield continued: “A bit of both I would suggest.
There’s a recruitment team that have already been working in the days, weeks and months before I came, they were obviously doing their background work.
When you’re involved in football like I am, you always have players and people in mind who might help in different areas of the pitch.
So it’s about working together, having conversations, building lists, they’ve already got lists, and then seeing which one of those players is available and seeing which positions we need and how much we can put to that position.”
Tuesday will see Bloomfield complete a week in charge at Kenilworth Road, as although preparing for the game with Oxford United, he has been doing his best to work out just where his squad needs bolstering before the deadlines passes in a fortnight.
Discussing how that has gone, Bloomfield said: “We’ve got an idea of where we need to add but it’s also assessing and giving everyone an opportunity to go and play, so getting that balance right is really crucial. There’s already plans in place behind the scenes of what the guys have been working towards already which I really respect as well.
“So there’s a lot of things with recruitment that go in the melting pot and then you have to understand or try and analyse. Are they available? Are they willing to come? What’s the cost involved? There’s so many things and boxes that need to be ticked, so it’s a long process. But in a time of the year like now you have to try and go through those processes as quickly and swiftly as you possibly can.”
With Luton releasing defender Erik Pieters after his contract expired on Sunday it gives them one available space in which to strengthen their squad, unless they bring in any further U21 additions like Lamine Fanne and Christ Makosso.
Revealing whether he might need to let anyone else go in a bid to make further signings, Bloomfield added: “It depends on how many we look to really go after. There’s not many places available right now, so I think it’s continual conversation with the football club and alignment with Gary (Sweet, chief executive) and the recruitment staff to make sure we do what’s right for the club over the next few months.”
