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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE international Marvelous Nakamba said he was excited to be joining newly-promoted English Premiership side Luton Town from Aston Villa on a permanent basis after the club confirmed he signed a three-year deal yesterday.
Nakamba’s move was largely expected after impressing during a brief loan stint from Villa, leading the side to the topflight for the first time in three decades. Negotiations, however, took a bit long to conclude.
But the 29-year-old sealed his newly-found love with the Luton Town family when he scored Town’s third penalty in the shootout victory in the play-off final against Coventry to seal promotion.
He was the favourite player of coach Rob Edwards and the Luton fans also developed a strong bond with the good-natured Zimbabwean midfielder.
“I’m very excited to be back home at Luton to continue the journey,” said Nakamba.
“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 the way that we did. To see them at Wembley celebrating brought tears of joy. It was real love.
“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.”
The Zimbabwean spent last season on loan at League One outfit Fleetwood and only returned to Luton Town at the back end of their successful campaign in the Championship.
Nakamba enjoyed a sensational turnaround from a largely unhappy stint with Villa last season, where he struggled to regain his form after suffering a serious knee injury in December 2021.
The midfielder joined Luton Town on deadline day of the January transfer window from Villa and the move to the second-tier turned out to be magical.
Nakamba went on to start 19 games for the club in the Championship and marked his final appearance of his loan spell by helping Rob Edwards’ side seal promotion to the Championship in the play-off final.
His former team Aston Villa also confirmed the deal but could not shed light on the figures involved. “Marvelous Nakamba has joined Luton Town for an undisclosed fee. Everyone at Aston Villa would like to thank Nakamba for his service to the club and wish him all the best in his future career,” said a brief statement from Villa.
Luton Town manager Edwards said: “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.
“As a footballer, he was 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.
“A massive thank you to Gary and the board, they’ve worked so hard on this, and to Aston Villa for making it happen.
“It’s a huge statement for the club going forward. 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.”
Online Reporter