Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276
Ex-Charlton youngster could have an immediate top flight return
Luton wingback Alfie Doughty is rumoured to be interesting a host of Premier League sides including Brentford according to Sky Sports.
The 24-year-old had an extremely impressive debut campaign in the top flight for the Hatters last term, as after only beginning one of the club's first four Premier League encounters, he went on to displace Ryan Giles in the team for the clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers in September. Following the 1-1 draw, Doughty started every other match bar the 3-1 defeat to Brentford in December, playing 2,937 minutes in total, the most out of any Town's outfield players.
Named in the XI for 34 out of 38 matches, Doughty managed eight assists, the same as Manchester City duo Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, plus midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, adding two goals as well, on target against Sheffield United and Fulham. After coming through the ranks at Charlton Athletic, Doughty moved to Kenilworth Road in June 2022 under previous boss Nathan Jones.
He had spells with Stoke City and Cardiff City prior to joining the Hatters, but injuries restricted him to just 56 outings in those four years, as since heading to Kenilworth Road, he now appears to have got over any issues, playing 78 matches, with last season's tally of 43 outings his highest yet. With Town dropping out of the top flight despite Doughty's best efforts, he has now been linked with a move back to the highest tier of English football, with the Bees looking to bolster their squad after a long-term injury to Rico Henry last season.
Speaking recently, Town chief Rob Edwards admitted the club didn't have to sell this summer, but knows there could still be some departures, saying: "I can't sit here and promise you that no-one's going to go, but what I can say is we're under no pressure to do that. It's got to be right for the football club and if it's a real opportunity for someone to progress then there's conversations to be had, but we are ambitious here and we don't just want to sit still and go backwards. We want to be back there (Premier League) and the best chance of doing that is by keeping the majority of the group that we've got.
"Our aim is to try and keep as many as we can and be in a really strong position. We do want to keep the majority of the group together and I'm pretty sure we will do that. We don't know what's going to happen, we've got a long couple of months ahead now, a period of time where not much is going to happen and then pre-season begins and things start ramping up a bit. My challenge is for us, the recruitment team, board and everyone is to try and have a better squad at the start of next season to what we have, which is difficult but what we've got to try to push to achieve."