Next Luton Manager Odds: Five options to replace Rob Edwards

Transparent leadership, a capable squad on paper, Premier League parachute money coming in and a new stadium on the horizon: the Luton job has a lot going for it, despite the Bedfordshire outfit languishing in 20th right now after a disappointing first half of the season. EFL pundit Gab Sutton looks at five candidates to replace Rob Edwards in the hot seat... 

1. Steven Schumacher

There has to be a ‘Stoke mitigation’ caveat applied to the CV of any manager who has struggled in that corner of the Potteries.

Four other good managers - Gary Rowett, Nathan Jones, Michael O’Neill and Alex Neil - have all struggled there in the Championship, along with an excellent coach in Narcís Pèlach, who has just earned the opportunity to work with Graham Potter at West Ham.

As such, it’s debatable how much Schumacher’s CV should be tainted by that sacking, and with 13 wins in 32 games in charge, his record stands up ok in what’s proven to be arduous circumstances.

Elsewhere, the Liverpudlian has been a key figure behind Plymouth Argyle’s rise up the leagues, not dissimilar to Luton’s, first as a trusted assistant to Ryan Lowe, secondly as manager, with the highlight being 2022-23’s League One title success with 101 points.

Still only 40, Schumacher has significant growth potential as a manager, and having demonstrated the ability to build a team that can create chances whilst maintaining a resolute defensive structure, he could well build something special with the Hatters.

2. Aaron Danks

The fact Aaron Danks has never played professional football, arguably, gives him a huge advantage over other coaches who went into the business straight after retiring, having enjoyed the extra 20 years to perfect his methodology.

As such, the 44-year-old has built a fantastic career for himself, initially in youth football, where his work culminated in assisting the England Under-21s for a year, having won the U20s World Cup as part of the staff in 2017.

Danks has since moved on to being an assistant with Anderlecht, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, and now Bayern Munich, where he currently operates as Vincent Kompany’s right-hand man.

Of course, there’s a crucial difference between being a great coach and a great manager, as the Hatters have found previously, with their 2019-20 campaign under Graeme Jones not quite going to plan until Nathan Jones came in for the games behind closed doors in COVID times and saved the day – despite Graeme having far greater coaching pedigree than Nathan.

As such, Luton would have to do their due diligence to be confident that Danks does have what it takes to be a number one – and that he wants that role enough to leave a well-paid job at the Allianz Arena.

If the club think he has the right qualities to lead the operation, though, Danks has all the coaching talent in the world.

3. Des Buckingham

Unlike Danks, we know that Des Buckingham’s ‘end game’ is to be a number one, despite a coaching heavy background: he’s already managed Wellington Pheonix, Mumbai City and Oxford United, enjoying success in each of those jobs.

Like Danks, though, Buckingham didn’t have a senior playing career so, even as a 39-year-old, he’s been learning his craft in this industry for a quarter of a century.

Having won the A-League Premiership with Melbourne City, as assistant, the Indian Super League with Mumbai City, and the League One Play-Offs with Oxford, the young coach has an outstanding track record across the globe and has every chance of continuing it at Luton. 

4. John Eustace

John Eustace has an emerging reputation as a reliable Championship manager, after doing excellent work at Birmingham, prior to an infamous sacking in favour of Wayne Rooney, and now Blackburn.

While leaving Ewood Park for Kenilworth Road would seem like a crazy move on the face of things, swapping a team in 7th for one languishing in 20th, the Hatters are arguably the club with the greater long-term prospects.

Whereas Rovers need new ownership to make sustainable progress, the Hatters already have a fantastic infrastructure in place, sound, transparent people off the field like Gary Sweet and Mick Harford, a strong squad, and an exciting new stadium on the horizon.

Eustace’s likeable, down-to-earth people skills would make him a smooth cultural fit for Town, if they could poach him from Lancashire.

5. Brian Barry-Murphy

After a highly-successful three-year period in charge of Manchester City EDS, where he nurtured some of the top talent in world football, Brian Barry-Murphy has joined Leicester City’s first-team staff.

If the Irishman is keen to return to management as a number one, however, where he did a good job at Rochdale in arduous conditions, Luton could be a presentable opportunity.

BBM seems to have a knack of making every player he works with better, and finding a system to create chances, even - as was the case at Spotland - with a limited group of players.

Located just north of London, Luton are perfectly placed to pick up players who might have dropped out of the big academies, at Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, and develop them into Premier League footballers - Barry-Murphy could be the ideal person to lead that process.