Luton Town Football Club, have finally triggered its option to transfer English-born prospect Gideon Kodua from West Ham on a permanent basis, subject to EFL approval.
The 21-year-old attacker has been in sensational form during the opening half of the season, scoring ten times in 31 appearances from a variety of roles on either flank or behind the main striker.
Kodua has quickly become a firm fans’ favourite at Kenilworth Road and converting his status into a full-time Luton Town player was inevitable, but has been accelerated by the arrival of two more loan players in January.
Everyone at the Club will undoubtedly be buoyed by this news ahead of Saturday’s home game with Bradford City, which kicks off at 12:31pm as part of the British Heart Foundation’s ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign.
Manager Jack Wilshere said: “Gids is so important to how we want to play. He’s one that I knew plenty about before I came here, after scoring against my team in the FA Youth Cup final for west Ham, but since we’ve been in he has been outstanding for us.
“His contribution in terms of output is there for all to see with the number of goals he’s scored. But what you don’t see is his attitude to working and improving himself on a daily basis at the training ground.
“He’s emerged as a key character within the squad and someone we are so pleased to have on board now for the long-term, and not just the remainder of this season.”
After finalising the paperwork, Gideon told lutontown.co.uk: “I’m so happy to have made the move permanent. It’s something I’ve wanted.
“You can see on the pitch how passionate I am playing for the club and contributing. It’s about continuing what I’ve been doing, scoring goals and playing well.
“It’s been like going back to my old ways. When I was 18, this was normal to me, being a goalscorer. It was just about transitioning into the men’s game and showing people that I can do it at senior level.
“I have my own goals and targets for the season, which I won’t say now but I’ll let you know by May!”
Gideon was signed under Matt Bloomfield, who he had played under at Wycombe, but his form and goalscoring numbers have soared since Wilshere’s appointment in mid-October with eight of his goals coming in 20 appearances since then.
“I’m so grateful to Matt for bringing me here and Jack’s been amazing to me,” he said. “He wants to improve me as a player, which is the main thing for me, and he wants to elevate my career.
“I feel like I am improving day by day with my knowledge of the game, tactically and technically, so he has been good to me in terms of my development. I can’t complain!
“I just want to excite the fans and give back to them, and as I’ve said before, I never take anything for granted. Every time I do put it in the net, it means more because we know what we want to go somewhere this season together. Hopefully they keep loving me!”
