Luton Town have signed defender, Mads Andersen from Barnsley for an undisclosed fee.
Andersen’s move to Kenilworth Road brings his four-year spell at Barnsley to a close, where he scored five goals in 167 appearances and was part of the team who suffered relegation to League One at end of 2021-22 season in-between two campaigns which ended in Play-Off heartbreak.
“It feels very, very good,” commented Andersen upon his move to Luton. “I’m very happy and I’m really looking forward to this next chapter of my life at Luton Town.
Andersen proceeded to admit that he is “excited” to finally achieve “a dream come true” by playing Premier League football, having set the target of Championship then Premier League during his time at Denmark’s Horsens.
Explaining his ambition, Andersen said: “When I made my move in Denmark from Brondby to a lower team in the same division, me and my dad spoke about it and I said ‘In one and a half years, I’m going to go to the Championship’, and that is exactly what happened.
“During that period I also wrote on a piece of paper, ‘Premier League’, and stuck it on the fridge. I completely forgot about it, until my family told me, ‘You put that on the fridge!’. So it’s a proud moment for them as well.”
Andersen also vowed to represent Luton with pride as the Hatters prepare for their first Premier League season, as he added: “I’m going to play with my heart. I’m going to try and give everything I can, 100 per cent team player.
“I’ll do anything for the team and hopefully they can use my qualities and I can help them to show their qualities.”
Barnsley CEO, Khaled El-Ahmad meanwhile paid tribute to Andersen for his “dedication and professionalism”, which made it impossible to reject Luton’s offer and instead let the centre-back leave “to puursue a new challenge in his career.”
El-Ahmad went on to add that the 25 year-old’s success and subsequent move marks “further evidence of the excellent player development pathway established at Oakwell, progressing into one of the best defenders in the league last season and adopting a leadership role within our squad.”
El-Ahmad consequently summed up Andersen’s development as “extremely rewarding” and “a pleasure” to have watched.
Andersen meanwhile issued the following statement to Barnsley supporters: “My time at BFC has come to an end, and I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the support and love I have received during my 4 years at Oakwell.
“It has been years of ups and downs and I have developed a lot as a footballer and as a human being, including being a proud captain for the team the last year.
“I know my choice of movement will disappoint fans, but a life as a footballer is short, and therefore most players have ambitions of playing at the highest level possible.
“That ambition includes me and already when I was playing in Denmark at AC Horsens, I had a note on my fridge stating the ambition of reaching the Premier League someday.
“I want to thank the coaches, staff and my incredible teammates for this season and for four lovely years at BFC, which I will look back at with joy. I also want to say thank you to Khaled who has supported me in this step upwards.
“I think BFC is a perfect club for young footballers to get a chance of playing football at a professional level and therefore I am happy that I took this step in 2019.”
Andersen previously began his career at Brondby IF where he made just one appearance and spent 2016-17 season on loan at Køge, where he scored twice in 28 appearances.
Leave a Reply