LUTON’S rise through the football pyramid has been nothing short of staggering.
From playing in the National League in 2013 to being on the doorstep of the Premier League a decade later, the Hatters’ rise is a football fairytale.
And one Luton star has been with the club every step of the way, that being midfield general Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu.
Mpanzu, 29, has been a keystone figure at the club and is now preparing for a dream day at Wembley as his side face off with Coventry in the most valuable game in football.
He initially joined the club on loan from West Ham in 2013 as a centre-half before sealing a permanent transfer at the end of the season having helped the club win the Conference with 101 points.
In the decade that has followed Mpanzu has moved into midfield and made 366 appearances for the club which has him on the verge of joining the ranks of Luton’s top 10 highest-ever appearance makers.
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Following their semi-final victory over Sunderland, Mpanzu said in a video to fans: “We’ve got one more – see you at Wembley.”
Mpanzu’s rise even saw him called up to earn two International caps for Democratic Republic of the Congo, and his love for the club still clearly remains.
Upon sealing a contract extension in 2021, Mpanzu said: “I love it at Luton, everyone knows that.
“The Kenny has become my second home and we’ve achieved so much in my time here.”
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Following promotion to the EFL, Luton stayed in League Two for four years, finally earning promotion to the third tier after coming second in the 2017/18 season.
However, Luton did not stay in League One for long, winning the league in their first season – losing just six games.
Their arrival in the Championship was understandably a huge challenge, with the Hatters only narrowly avoiding relegation in their first season.
Since then they have gone from strength to strength, steadily improving before earning a spot in the play-offs last season, though Huddersfield thwarted their dream last time out.
The Hatters have never played in the Prem having been relegated from the top flight in 1991/92, the year before the Premier League was introduced.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
