Hatters boss explains why he signed ex-Stoke, Burnley and PSV Eindhoven defender

Hatters boss Rob Edwards has explained his reasoning behind signing vastly experienced former Stoke, Burnley and PSV Eindhoven defender Erik Pieters on a short term deal.

The 36-year-old was initially on trial at Kenilworth Road in the summer having left West Bromwich Albion following two years at the Hawthorns, playing in Luton’s pre-season friendly victory over Stevenage. However, he wasn’t offered a permanent deal by Town as they prepared for their Championship campaign, meaning Pieters was free to look for pastures new in order to continue his career.

Unable to find a club, the ex-Utrecht youngster has now returned to Kenilworth Road and signed a month’s deal to help cover another injury crisis, Luton down to just three fit centre halves for tomorrow’s home game against Derby County, with Daiki Hashioka, Reece Burke, Teden Mengi and Amari’i Bell all absent.

With the Hatters then heading to Bristol City and Swansea over the Christmas period, also facing Norwich City and QPR in early January, Edwards swooped for Pieters to bolster the squad until he is able to welcome back Burke, Bell and Hashioka, or making the signings he requires during the transfer window which opens next month.

On his latest addition, he said: “It’s short term, it’s a month at the moment, so that’s where we’re at and then we can obviously review it and see how things progress over the next few weeks. Erik has been great with it. He's been keeping himself fit, he's been training hard, but there’s a difference between football training with the team. He's very fit and been looking after himself. He's had two weeks of training with us, so he's getting there, and it works for both parties at the moment as well.”

Although he hasn't featured in a first team game since turning out for the Baggies back in March, with over 500 senior games under his belt, plus winning 18 caps for the Netherlands too, it’s what he can offer away from the pitch that Edwards is also eager to tap into. The boss continued: “He’s still playing, he’s had a really long career, he’s got great experiences and performed at a high level so we can really use him.

“We can use that experience and lean on a real wealth of knowledge that he’s got and fit in if and when needed, so that’s why we did it. I’ve said to him and been really honest, I can’t guarantee the minutes, but even if it’s helping on the training pitch as well, that can be equally as important. He’s a good guy, very experienced and can bring balance to our defensive options during this difficult period with the injuries we currently have.”

With Pieters have played almost 150 matches in the top division of Dutch football for both Utrecht and PSV, plus featuring extensively in the Premier League after moving to Stoke for £3m in 2014 and then Burnley for £1m five years later, new team-mate Tom Holmes believes he has fitted in perfectly to his new surroundings already.

The defender added: “I’ve trained with him a bit, he’s just very experienced, you can tell that and a really, really good guy from what I’ve seen so far. When experienced players sign, he would have been at clubs with success, clubs that are going through it, he will definitely add a dimension. He’s a good guy and fits in with the culture here.”