Former Newcastle, Brighton and Luton winger joins ex-Hatters boss at Pools

Former Luton winger Kazenga LuaLua has linked up with ex-Hatters boss Lennie Lawrence to sign for National League side Hartlepool United.

The 33-year-old had been without a club after his short-term deal with Charlton Athletic ended in the summer, where he made five substitute outings for the Addicks under Nathan Jones. LuaLua had begun his career with Newcastle United in 2007, as after spells with Doncaster, Brighton, QPR and Sunderland, he then moved to Kenilworth Road in September 2018.

While with the Hatters, the Democratic Republic of the Congo-born player made 87 appearances, scoring eight goals, helping Town win promotion to the Championship as League One champions and then stay there, leaving in July 2021 and heading to Turkish side Gençlerbirliği. He also had a year-and-a-half spell in Greece with Levadiakos, until heading to Charlton in March 2024 and now finds himself at the Prestige Group Stadium.

LuaLua made his debut off the bench in the 0-0 draw with Eastleigh at the weekend, as on the move, he told the club’s official website: “I’m delighted to be here. I’ve been training over the last few weeks and the lads have made me feel very welcome. I’m excited to be involved and can’t wait to get onto the pitch.”

LuaLua isn’t the only ex-Luton connection at the Pools, as former Town boss Lawrence, who took charge of the Hatters between 1995-2000, was appointed as manager until the end of the season earlier this month. The winger has been impressed with what he has seen from the 76-year-old, who has also been at Charlton, Middlesbrough, Grimsby Town and Cardiff City, last managing while at the Bluebirds in 2005.

He told the Hartlepool Mail about his experience of working with Lawrence so far: “He's been really good. Since he took over from the old manager (Darren Sarll), he's been unbelievable. You can ask any of the boys and they'd say exactly the same thing. It's an honour to play under him and I hope I can help the club achieve success while I'm here."

Discussing his new acquisition, Lawrence himself, who has managed over 1,000 games in his career, added: “Kazenga has been with us for quite a while and he’ll certainly bring an impact to the team. He’s looked good in training and hopefully, with some game time under his belt, he can become a valuable player for us.”