Championship duo are linked with a move for Luton midfielder

Luton midfielder Shandon Baptiste could potentially be on his way back to the Championship ahead of the new season, with Portsmouth and Oxford both rumoured to be interested in acquiring his services.

The 27-year-old had a difficult first year at Kenilworth Road, as having joined on a free transfer last summer following his release by Premier League Brentford, endured yet another injury-hit campaign, with persistent hamstring and calf issues restricting him to just 16 league appearances for the Hatters, only a mere seven from the start.

Despite scoring an injury-time winner as Luton appeared to have bolstered their chances of staying up when beating Coventry City in the penultimate game of the campaign, Baptiste then wasn’t used during the final day 5-3 defeat at West Bromwich Albion, a result that saw Town leapfrogged by Hull City to finish third bottom and drop down into League One.

Hatters boss Matt Bloomfield has admitted there could be a number of players departing Bedfordshire during the transfer window, as he looks for a more ‘robust’ side to try and mount a promotion challenge from the third tier. With Baptiste having only started 41 league games during his seven years as a pro, and Town having already signed ex-Millwall midfielder and Northern Ireland international George Saville, while Liam Walsh has also penned a new contract, it could be that the Grenada international is moved on.

Hayters are now reporting that one of his former clubs, Oxford are interested in a return for the midfielder, Baptiste having come through the ranks at the Kassam Stadium as a teenager, going on to play 43 times and scoring five goals before a £2.25m move to Brentford in January 2020. While he was at the U’s, the midfielder also played with Pompey manager John Mousinho, who is also reportedly looking to bring him to the south coast, after the Fratton Park side remained above the dotted line last term.

Asked about Baptiste, having done all he can to get him fit for the relegation run-in, Bloomfield said: “I’ve really felt for him this season as he’s got himself going and then had a couple of breakdowns, but he’s gone about his work so well. He’s someone I’ve admired from afar for a number of years, he’s a top player, a really top player. He’s another player that we think so highly of that we haven’t had as much as we would have loved to.

"He’s a proper player Shandon and a lovely boy, really hard-working, diligent, cares about his football. It’s been hard to see him suffer at times this season. It’s not easy to be a footballer who can’t play football, it’s not a nice place to be and I think we have to be really careful and conscientious with the boys that are injured. They don’t want to be injured and they’re trying, they’re working incredibly hard to stay fit.

“They’re humans and they take it all to heart at times and it’s not easy. I’m not asking anyone to feel sorry for the lads, we’re very fortunate to live in this industry, we’re very fortunate to live this life and none of us would ever change it for the world, but Shandon is very, very conscientious. I can tell you that for a fact, he works incredibly hard, incredibly diligently and I can also tell you he’s a proper player. We’ve all seen that, we just hope he gets a little bit of luck and can keep himself fit and if he can, then for our whole football club, we have a real player on our hands.”