Luton sign ex-Everton winger on loan from Nottingham Forest

Luton have made their fourth signing in just four days after announcing that Nottingham Forest winger Josh Bowler has joined on loan for the rest of the season.

The 25-year-old forward has spent a good number of years in the Championship, as after starting out with QPR’s academy, head to Premier League side Everton for a fee believed to be worth around £4.25m when he was an 18-year-old in 2017. He had spells on loan with Hull City, before moving to second tier side Blackpool in the summer of 2021, going on to score 11 goals in 67 Championship outings while at Bloomfield Road, leading to a move to the City Ground following the Reds promotion to the top tier of English football.

He was immediately loaned out to Greek Super League club Olympiacos where he played seven times, before another spell with Blackpool, going on to spend last season with Cardiff City, a team-mate of now Luton defender Mark McGuinness, as he played 38 times in the Championship, with five goals, before going to Preston North End in August, featuring just 13 times.

Bowler has now headed to the Hatters though and speaking to the club’s official website, manager Matt Bloomfield said: “Josh is someone with vast Championship experience at a number of different clubs. He’s a real creative spark at the top of the pitch, making chances for others and he can finish too. He’s got a point to prove and wants to play in a formation that we are looking to use.

“He’s shown a lot of hunger and desire to come here and he’s someone we are really happy to have on board. I’ve watched him a lot of times over the years and he’s always stood out as someone who wants to come inside to create. He can play in any of those three positions behind a main nine, so he brings versatility and we’re really looking forward to working with him.”