Bloomfield explains why Luton agreed to Odoffin deal as new signing requires surgery
New addition will be out for the next few months
Luton boss Matt Bloomfield has explained why the Hatters went through with the signing of Hakeem Odoffin after the defensive midfielder was ruled out for what could be a few months as he undergoes surgery to repair a non-musculoskeletal issue that was picked up in his medical.
Once the 27-year-old became a free agent after ending his time at Rotherham United, Town made him one of their eight signings so far this summer, despite an MRI scan in his medical revealing the issue, leaving the club fully aware he would need a minor procedure that would see him out of action for a period of time.
Bloomfield, who has targeted building a more robust squad this term, discussed just why Town still went through with the deal for a player, who has still been able to take part in all non-contact sessions since pre-season training began and travelled to Slovenia to integrate with his new team-mates, saying: “There was a medical issue that was flagged up in Haks’ medical.
"He’s not ill, it's not a serious illness, I don't want to start bringing an issue to something that’s not. He’ll just need a minor procedure just to make sure he’s ready for competitive football, so unfortunately for Haks and unfortunately for us, he’s going to be missing for a couple of months. It was part of the negotiations between the club and his agent.
"We understood the situation and were in the position to make the decision where we support the boy through this and know that we’ve got a real good person, a real good character, a real good player on the other side? Or we walk away from it? We believed at that point, through the negotiation between the club and the agent it was the right thing to keep pursuing, so we’ll support Haks through this process and we can’t wait to have him available.”
Asked what he would say to supporters who would be critical of Town bringing in a player who can’t feature immediately, Bloomfield continued: “He’s not injured, he’s unavailable to play. I get that and I understand why the questions would arise. It’s something we asked ourselves and we discussed internally. We believed it was the right thing to support him through this and to have him available when he’s ready. It’s not a football injury per se, it’s just something he needs a procedure with and he’ll be fine coming out the other side.
“I highly rate him as a defender, as a leader, as a character, as a boy, as an individual. His desire to join us was really strong and again, coming off the back of where we were the last two years, we felt that players with that huge desire to come and play for us was really crucial to blend in the new group. He’s someone the recruitment department at the football club had kept a really close eye on before I was here, someone who I know extremely well from playing against him, so all things aligned and we believe it’s still the right decision.”
Odoffin himself, who played 52 times for the Millers last term, named Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year, told the club’s official website: “I’m thankful to the club who got me in front of leading specialists straight away. Unfortunately, it does require surgery to correct the issue and ensure I can return to playing safely. I’ll be sidelined for a little while, but I’m fully focused on my recovery and will be working hard to get back to training with the lads as soon as possible.”