Grimsby boss reveals Mariners are looking to sign Luton youngster

Grimsby Town manager David Artell has revealed he is looking to sign Luton youngster Jayden Luker on loan, although admitted the teenager forward could well end up going to a higher division during the summer transfer window.

The 19-year-old joined the Hatters in the summer of 2022 after previously being with ProDirect East London, where he scored against Town in a friendly contest. He instantly caught the eye at Kenilworth Road, part of the U18s side who went on to reach the FA Youth Cup fifth round, also winning both the Youth Alliance South East title and Merit League 1 title, eventually signing a professional development contract in March 2023.

Luker then earned an extension to his deal in November of last year, and was on the bench for a number of Premier League games during the early part of the season, also an unused substitute in the 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Exeter as well. Eager to boost his first team experience, the teenage forward went out on loan to National League side Woking in January, where he scored two goals in 17 matches, also netting twice as Luton’s U21s beat Fulham U21s in May.

Involved in the Hatters’ pre-season training campaign, Luker travelled out with the first team to Slovenia, while he also had 90 minutes in last night’s 3-1 defeat against Port Vale. Town chief Rob Edwards has admitted a loan deal could be beneficial for him once more this season and if so, then speaking to BBC Humberside, Mariners boss Artell hopes it could be at Blundell Park.

Asked about bringing Luker to the League Two side, he said: “That’s one of the club’s we’ve spoken about and one of the players we’ve spoken about. I think we’ll do exceptionally well if he ends up here, as he’s such a good player. I would imagine he’ll go higher, but we’ve asked and he’s another one that we’re waiting for Luton to get back to us. We want to bring in good players to this club that will improve us, we’re hopeful by the end of the week we might have one or two in.”

Speaking about the immediate future of Luker, plus Zack Nelson and Joe Johnson recently, Edwards had said: “They’re great lads, they work incredibly hard, but they’re always progressing and they’ll continue to get better and better. They’ll be pushing and we’ll try to get the right thing for them, whether that’s a loan or they stay in with the group.

"If they’re staying in with us, I’d like them to try and make some impact with us this season. We’ve got to make the right decision for them, because we’d like them to be playing first-team football, or at least being around it more, and getting more minutes this year. The challenge for them is to try and break into our group and if they’re not able to do that then we’ll see if a loan is the right thing. But they’re three really good players that I’m pretty confident are going to impact us in the future.”