Luton Town have enjoyed an excellent season in the Championship, just their third since promotion from League One, in finishing sixth and only narrowly missing out on a place at Wembley Stadium.

The Hatters were tipped by many as dark horses heading into the campaign, but that should not take away from how much Nathan Jones and his staff have achieved this term, in operating with one of the smallest budgets in the division.

Luton have been steadily improving for almost a decade now and will be confident of being competitive in the top half of the second tier once again next season.

Kenilworth Road will continue to be a weapon and clubs will not see them as little Luton when preparing to play them next term.

Here, we have taken a look at three obstacles that Luton face in building on their impressive 2021/22 campaign...

Key player interest

As tends to happen the majority of times that a smaller team overperforms compared to their financial muscle, other second tier sides and even Premier League clubs will have admired the Hatters' season, and also some of the talented players in their squad.

Elijah Adebayo scored 17 goals in all competitions for Luton this season, and at 24 he will be on the radar of many in higher places.

The Londoner has also contributed a lot outside of his goalscoring and can occupy defenders with his broad frame and intelligent ball manipulation.

Allan Campbell may be another player who attracts interest after adapting very quickly to English football having arrived from Motherwell in the summer of 2021.

Contenders will invest more

Larger clubs with deeper squads and heftier wage bills will have seen what Luton have achieved, and could invest even more heavily in their squads in upcoming transfer window to ensure they are not overtaken again.

West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough spring to mind as clubs with financial muscle off the pitch, who will be targeting a top six finish as a minimum next season.

In addition to that, the three clubs relegated from the top-flight could be strong next season, with local rivals Watford, in particular, in good shape to bounce back at the first time of asking.

Opposition tactics will alter

Harry Cornick and Adebayo, among others, have had a lot of joy on the counter-attack this season, as teams have attacked Luton without much respect for their capabilities.

That will not be the case as much next term, with possibly even mid table sides seeing a point as a good result against the Hatters, and it will be interesting to see how Jones can adapt to overcome these challenges.