After avoiding relegation in their first season back in the Championship since 2007, Luton Town managed to build on that in 2020-21 with a surprise top half finish.

The return of Nathan Jones as manager has clearly brought the Hatters' fighting spirit back as they managed to finish above teams with much bigger budgets to end the campaign in 12th spot.

It was a testament to the work Jones had done, with many of his squad still populated with players who have been on the journey with the club through Leagues Two and One.

Good performances though will ultimately get noticed and it's seen several key players already depart this summer and perhaps more to follow.

Prolific goalscorer James Collins is heading to Cardiff City whilst defender Matty Pearson has returned to Yorkshire and signed for Huddersfield Town - Pelly Ruddock may be the next one to exit with Middlesbrough reportedly chasing him.

There may be a few incomings happening in the coming weeks as Jones looks to replenish his squad -  let's look at how the Hatters may line up come the first Championship game in August.

There's no reason for Luton to change their goalkeeper this summer with Sluga proving to be worth every penny of the 1.5 million euros that the Hatters paid for him in 2019.

He did make a few mistakes in his first season, however his 39 Championship starts last season yielded 12 clean sheets and he was generally faultless.

At 28 years old, Sluga has more than enough years left in him and he will be in the Croatia squad for this summer's European Championships, but he's unlikely to see any game-time ahead of Dominik Livakovic and Lovre Kalinic.

There's likely not going to be too many changes to Luton's defence - Jones is pretty covered at right-back and we fancy Bree to get the nod this season over Martin Cranie and the versatile Jordan Clark.

Clark would be seen as more of a wing-back option in a 3-5-2 but Bree would be the more comfortable choice in a back four, and he ended the 2020-21 season as first choice in that position.

It's hard to believe that Bree is still 23 having broke through into the Barnsley squad as a teenager - he failed to make the grade at Aston Villa but Bree still has time to prove that he can be a top Championship right-back.

Luton may have lost Pearson and Collins this summer, but they at least managed to retain one of their stalwarts in Sonny Bradley.

The imposing centre-back had interest from elsewhere, however he showed loyalty to the Hatters by penning a new deal and will lead them into next season as captain.

Despite being an aerial threat due to his height, Bradley didn't actually score for last season so that will be one thing he will be aiming to improve on, but he will have a new centre-back partner to bond with as Matty Pearson has been replaced.

And he's been replaced by Reece Burke of Hull City, with Luton beating off significant Championship competition to sign the former West Ham man.

The likes of Derby, Millwall and Bristol City were all reportedly looking at the 24-year-old but he chose Kenilworth Road as his next destination, and you'd imagine he will end up slotting in next to Bradley in defence.

He'll face competition from Wales international Tom Lockyer though, who only played 20 times last season but he will be hoping for more game-time - he may not get it though with the arrival of Burke, although Jones could play three centre-backs if needed.

There's probably not a position that Naismith hasn't played during his career - the last couple of seasons though he's proven to be incredibly versatile.

Naismith had a double-figure scoring season in 2016-17 as a winger but you'll more regularly see him in defence now - playing at both left-back and centre-back for the Hatters in the final few months of the campaign.

With a new centre-back in Burke arriving, it's more likely that Naismith will find himself as the starting left-back to begin the season - that could be his new permanent position under Jones.

When Rea joined National League side Woking on loan in 2019 when Luton had just been promoted to the Championship, you'd be forgiven for thinking that his career at the Hatters may have been over, especially after suffering a bad knee injury the season prior.

However after building up his fitness, Rea returned to the squad and last season he played 40 Championship games, playing an important role at the base of Jones' midfield.

There's no reason as to why he can't continue in that role - Jones may end up bringing in some competition for the position but it's Rea's to lose right now.

A bit further forward in midfield is probably where Luton need to make some moves - Pelly Ruddock hasn't signed a new contract yet and if he leaves they'll need an energetic box-to-box player to replace him.

Step forward Luke O'Nien, who in the last few seasons has been starring at right-back or centre-back for Sunderland but it was at Wycombe Wanderers where he played in the centre of midfield and caught the Black Cats' attention.

The Hatters reportedly tried to sign him in 2019 from Sunderland and according to Football Insider they're one of a number of Championship teams trying to take him on a bosman deal.

The 26-year-old would probably welcome a move to give him a midfield role once again and Luton could hand him that opportunity and also a switch closer to his Hemel Hempstead birthplace.

Is a Kenilworth Road return for Dewsbury-Hall a pipe dream for next season?

The 22-year-old was a standout for Luton in the engine room after his loan move from Leicester City, scoring three goals and bagging six assists, and because of his performances Hatters fans have been resigned to him not returning for a second season.

Brendan Rodgers admitted that he will be looking to bring Dewsbury-Hall 'back in' to the senior squad but there's every chance he may feel another Championship season will do the midfielder the world of good - and there'd be no better place for him to excel once again than Luton.

There's a few current Luton players who could play in the number 10 - Harry Cornick stepped up immeasurably in the 2019-20 season to score nine goals, but last season was a bit more barren for the 26-year-old as he scored just once, whilst Jordan Clark could be used in this role.

But after his signing from Wycombe Wanderers, Onyedinma must be the favourite to start the season behind the two strikers that Jones opts to use.

Naturally a winger, Onyedinma can play in the 10, as a striker or even as a wing-back, and it would be good to see his creativity let loose and see if he can improve on his three goals and four assists for the Chairboys last season.

Having scored 10 goals in 25 games for Walsall, the imposing figure of Adebayo was snapped up by Luton on transfer deadline day in February for around £250,000 - that now looks like a bargain.

The 23-year-old netted five times in 18 appearances for the Hatters in the second half of the campaign but it's more than goals Adebayo brings - it's his strength, power and aerial ability as well as the quickness he has for a big man that is impressive.

Adebayo is only getting better and he's likely to be the leading man next season for Jones - hitting double figures in terms of goals will be his main goal and you'd expect him to be able to achieve that.

Jones definitely needs a partner for Adebayo though with the loss of Collins - even though they didn't start together that much following the former's arrival.

Back in late April, the Hatters were one of a number of clubs linked to Morecambe forward Carlos Mendes Gomes, who is naturally a winger but can also play through the middle.

16 League Two goals this season - including a penalty in the play-off final to earn the Shrimps promotion to the third tier - shows that the Spaniard has an eye for goal and he's likely to be hot property this summer, with Morecambe set to extend his contract automatically by a year to get a fee for him and he could be a good foil for Adebayo.