BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Luton Town have signed Marvelous Nakamba on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season.
The Hwange born-Zimbabwean midfielder, 29, has not featured for Villa since last season’s Premier League title-deciding 3-2 final day loss at Manchester City.
Aston Villa confirmed the news on Tuesday, amid revelations that the club had also relieved Aaron Ramsey.
The club, however, recalled Bertrand Traoré from his loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir FK.
“Marvelous Nakamba has joined Luton Town on loan until the end of the season, while Aaron Ramsey, who spent the first part of 2022/23 with Norwich City, will return to the Championship and spend the rest of the campaign at Middlesbrough.”
Nakamba began his career in his native Zimbabwe before he signed for French side Nancy at the age of 18 after a successful trial in 2012.
Two years later, he played his first match as a professional, starting in a 3-1 home win against Angers. After two appearances for the Ligue 2 outfit, Nakamba signed for Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem on a four-year-deal.
The defensive midfielder established himself in Vitesse’s starting eleven during the 2015-16 campaign, and within that same year made his international debut for Zimbabwe.
To date, following his first cap against Malawi, he has represented his country 26 times including at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and once in 2019.
As well as his competition debut in 2017, he played a vital part in Vitesse’s KNVB Beker cup victory against AZ Alkmaar, the first trophy the Dutch side had won in its 125-year history.
Following his time in the Netherlands, Nakamba joined Belgian side Club Brugge that same year and helped them win the Belgian First Division alongside Ethan Horvath, later making five appearances for the club in the Champions League against AS Monaco, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid. In 2019, he signed for Aston Villa in the summer transfer window. He made his first Villa appearance against Crewe Alexandra in a 6-1 EFL Cup victory, before making his Premier League debut a month later against West Ham.
Nakamba made 16 appearances in the top-flight last season, and manager Rob Edwards said: “We’re so pleased to be able to bring Marvelous in. That position is one we’ve been looking to fill for a while. I think we’ve got a lot of good midfielders, but not many natural, deep midfield players and I really like what he’s about.
“He’s got a brilliant attitude, great physicality, good quality and I think he really suits the way we play, so he will fit in really well with us.
“He’s had amazing experiences playing in the Premier League and Champions League, and we want him to bring all of that to try to help improve us.“There are difficult decisions within this window, but everything that we are trying to do is always with an aim to try to keep improving and moving forward, and we feel that being able to get Marvelous in the building to the end of the season is a real coup for us.”
Speaking after finalising his medical at The Brache, Nakamba said: “I’m very happy to be here at Luton Town. I know Henri Lansbury from Aston Villa and Ethan Horvath because I played with him at Club Brugge, so it’s a good feeling to see them again.
“I spoke with the gaffer and he told me about the project of the club and I told him my situation, that it was interesting for me to come over here.
“I think it’s good for the club, great for me and I love the ambition at the club. I’m looking forward to contributing to help the team.”-Luton Town Football Club, VicFallsLive