Luton Town have confirmed that Marvelous Nakamba will return to his parent club Aston Villa. Nakamba, a Zimbabwean midfielder, joined Luton on a six-month loan deal in January. During his short spell in the Championship, he rediscovered his form after being frozen out at Villa in the first half of the season.
Nakamba became a key player in the Luton squad, winning the club’s Player of the Month award for March and helping his side gain promotion to the EPL. Luton announced on their website that Nakamba, along with two other loanees, Ethan Horvath and Cody Drameh, would return to their parent clubs following the end of their loan spells. Read the statement in part:
Luton Town Football Club can confirm our retained and released list as our successful 2022-23 season has now drawn to a close… Ethan Horvath, Cody Drameh and Marvelous Nakamba will return to their parent clubs following the end of their loan spells, we would like to thank them for their fantastic contributions to this historic season.
The club did not mention Admiral Muskwe, a Zimbabwean player who is still with the club. Muskwe did not play in the last half of the season due to an injury.
Nakamba has a contract with Villa, but is still waiting to hear whether the club will keep or sell him ahead of next season. Nakamba, speaking to the Birmingham Mail, said he is waiting to hear from Villa regarding his future with the club. He has not had discussions with Unai yet and hopes for the best. Despite having a contract with Villa, he will wait and see what happens.
According to a report by Joseph Chapman for the Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa is planning to sell Marvelous Nakamba and other players who were loaned out during the 2022/23 season. The report suggests that six players are expected to be moved permanently in the next transfer window. The report also notes that Villa would probably want to strengthen the squad by bringing in better strikers in the summer. The report goes on to say that the players who left on loan are expected to be sold permanently this summer.
Luton Town supporters had expressed their desire for the recently promoted EPL club to sign Nakamba on a permanent basis. Despite this, some analysts have warned that Luton may not be able to afford Nakamba’s high salary demands.