Luton Town coach Rob Edwards has showered Marvelous Nakamba with praise, saying everyone at the club had fallen in love with the Zimbabwean midfielder. Nakamba put pen to paper on a three-year deal to join the Hatters on a permanent transfer from Aston Villa yesterday.
The soft-spoken midfield enforcer spent four months at Kenilworth Road on loan from Villa last season, and helped the Hatters secure promotion to the Premier League, after a penalty shootout victory over Coventry City in the play offs final at Wembley.
During his loan spell at Luton, Nakamba was a fan favorite, something Edwards says was because of the love everyone had for the Warriors star.
“We – the supporters, the board, the staff and the players – all fell in love with Marv (Nakamba) for what he gave us. Not just his work ethic, but his humility. He’s so unassuming; he just slotted in from day one and it felt like he had been at Luton for 10 years,” Edwards told the club’s website.
“I think he felt that love. Everyone felt that he enjoyed himself and that it felt like home for him. That’s why it is special because he felt it was right, he felt comfortable, at home – and now he is.
“As a footballer, he was the glue that knitted us together. He allowed everyone to do their jobs. There were quotes out there last season saying it was like having three of him on the pitch at times – he covered every blade of grass.
“A massive thank you to (CEO) Gary (Sweet) and the board, they’ve worked so hard on this, and to Aston Villa for making it happen.
“It’s a huge statement for the club going forward. To bring in a player of his quality on a permanent transfer speaks volumes of where this football club is going, how ambitious we are and where we intend to go. We want to keep moving forward, it’s really exciting times and Marv (Nakamba) is another addition, together with the ones we brought in, that I think are really going to improve us,” added Edwards.
Source Soccer24
