Mendes Gomes: Luton Town was the right place for me

New Luton signing Carlos Mendes Gomes insists the Hatters are only going in one direction after deciding to move to Kenilworth Road from Morecambe at the weekend.

The 22-year-old was one of the hottest properties in League Two last season, scoring 16 goals in 54 appearances for the Shrimps, including the play-off final match-winning penalty to catch the eye of a number of clubs in the Championship.

However, it was Luton he settled on, the Hatters paying an undisclosed fee for his services to make him their seventh signing of the summer so far.

On just what made his mind up to head to Bedfordshire, the attacker said: “I think it’s a club going in only one direction.

“I spoke to the gaffer (Nathan Jones) and the way that he actually presented himself and the club, I felt his passion and that’s something that played a key part in me signing for Luton Town.

“There were a few other clubs that were interested, but I felt like Luton Town was the right place not just for my progress, but for me to actually enjoy football and for me to improve as a player.

“I think I’m at the right place, my family felt the same way, and the manager as well.

“The way that he spoke to me played a big, big, big part, so Luton Town were the right choice.”

Once he had discussed his and the club’s future with Jones, then Gomes, like all of the Hatters' previous six new additions, was left with little doubt that Town were the club for him.

He continued: “He said to me that it’s a hard-working club, he wants all his players to actually play for the shirt and I’m willing to do that.

“The passion that he showed towards the club and the people I met were all lovely.

“My family as well felt it was the right place too, so here I am.”

Gomes was quickly meeting up with his new teammates at the Brache and could well get a run-out when Luton visit Hitchin Town in their first pre-season friendly on Saturday, where over 1,000 supporters will be present at the game.

On his start to life at Luton, Gomes added: “Obviously moving clubs is not always easy, but I think that the boys, the people and the staff actually make everyone fit in quite quickly.

“That’s what you want because, at the end of the day, those are the people that you’re going to be working with for the next year.

“Everyone is class, I’ve seen the standard is really high.

“More than that, the way they are as people, they’re really friendly.

“Everyone introduced themselves in the right way and they always make sure that everything is in place, I think that also shows on the pitch.

"I love the environment, everyone seems really friendly and it's good knowing this is the place I’m going to be spending my time."