Luton Town have signed midfielder, Marvelous Nakamba from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.
Marvelous joined Villa from Club Brugge in August 2019 and helped the Villains reach the EFL Cup Final in his first season at Villa Park, despite ultimately missing out on the title to Manchester City.
Injuries however frustrated Marvelous in the last three seasons and he failed to make a single appearance last season before he joined Luton on loan in January, which proved successful as he made 19 appearances to help the Hatters clinch promotion to the Premier League.
Luton have since signed Marvelous for an undisclosed fee, with the defensive midfielder signing a three-year contract until June 2026.
“I’m very excited to be back home at Luton to continue the journey,” commented Marvelous, who scored Luton’s third penalty in their penalty shootout victory over Coventry in the Championship Play-Off Final.
Marvelous proceeded to reflect upon his loan stint at Kenilworth Road, as he continued: “When I joined on loan, I felt love from everyone – the manager, the board, the staff, the players and the fans. I was welcomed as part of the family and that pushed me to give everything for this club and help achieve the goal we had last season, which we did.
“The fans really welcomed me and made me feel energised and motivated to do well, so it was unbelievable to pay them back in way that we did. To see them at Wembley celebrating brought tears of joy. It was real love.”
The 29 year-old also admitted that manager – Rob Edwards had pushed him to convert that loan stint into a permanent transfer, as he added: “Over the summer the manager has been saying ‘you need to be here!’ and I’m so happy, so excited to now be back and ready for the season.”
Edwards meanwhile praised Marvelous for his attitude on and off the pitch, as he explained: “We – the supporters, the board, the staff and the players – all fell in love with Marv for what he gave us. Not just his work ethic, but his humility. He’s so unassuming; he just slotted in from day one and it felt like he had been at Luton for 10 years.
“I think he felt that love. Everyone felt that he enjoyed himself and that it felt like home for him. That’s why it is special because he felt it was right, he felt comfortable, at home – and now he is.”
Edwards proceeded to describe Marvelous as “… the glue that knitted us together. He allowed everyone to do their jobs.
“There were quotes out there last season saying it was like having three of him on the pitch at times – he covered every blade of grass.”
Edwards also iterated that Marvelous’ permanent transfer should be taken as a “huge statement” that the Hatters don’t want one season in the Premier League, as he concluded: “To bring in a player of his quality on a permanent transfer speaks volumes of where this football club is going, how ambitious we are and where we intend to go.
“We want to keep moving forward, it’s really exciting times and Marv is another addition, together with the ones we brought in, that I think are really going to improve us.”
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