What now for Allan Campbell?

Allan Campbell, the 24-year-old Scottish midfielder, joined Luton Town from Motherwell in the summer of 2021 with a lot of promise. After an impressive 2021/22 season, which saw Allan play 35 games, starting 31. It seems that since Rob Edwards has taken over at Luton Town, Campbell has struggled to find his footing in the Luton team, with several other options ahead of him in the pecking order. Allan, hasn't started a game since the 1-0 victory over Stoke on the 4th February, only coming on as a substitute in 3 of the 5 following games.

Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Marvelous Nakamba, and Jordan Clark have all been preferred over Campbell in midfield, leaving the Scottish international frustrated on the sidelines. Nakamba, in particular, has been in excellent form for Luton and has cemented his place as a regular starter in the middle of the park, with the recent run of form since he's come into the starting XI, has seen Luton not concede from open play in over 630 minutes, prior to 'that' goal conceded against Millwall.

Despite his lack of game time, Campbell has reportedly remained positive and determined to fight for his place in the team. He has been putting in the hard work on the training ground and has been patiently waiting for his chance to impress.

Manager Rob Edwards has acknowledged Campbell's hard work and attitude in an interview with Luton Today:

“What he does on a daily basis, how hard he works, and his attitude and everyone sees that whenever he plays.

“We do have some real competition for places in that area of the pitch and it’s a difficult decision having to leave him out, as we did in the last game, not starting him.

“But we know Al and he will fight and work even harder to get back into that team."

It is a tough situation for Campbell, who was a regular starter for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership before making the move to Luton. However, last night after Luke Berry equalised in the 87th minute, the Luton Town bench and stadium went nuts, with only one person remaining firmly in their seat, Allan Campbell. Considering the energetic pressing and tenacity that Allan Campbell brings to the midfield, it makes no sense that he's not at least being rotated into the lineup, at least to keep the middle of the park fresh considering the high intensity pressing game that we play. For me the most concerning thing is if a player is unhappy and feels they should be starting more games, we are going to get to the point where Campbell starts agitating for a move. Fortunately it will be in the Summer when we have a chance to pick up fresh reinforcements. However, if Campbell were to leave in the Summer with a whole year left on his contract we would recoup good value for losing him. However, we would be losing a very unique talent in our midfield who is a firm fan favourite. For now, will we see Allan Campbell add to his 27 starts this season? He started the first 6 games under Rob Edwards before dropping to the bench for 6 of the last 7 matches. Personally I want to see him in the starting lineup, to show what he can do with Campbell entering the last 12 months of his contract in the Summer, and we certainly don't want to be shortchanged on another great asset.