Luton Town manager Nathan Jones has hinted that the Hatters hold the option to turn Ethan Horvath's loan move from Nottingham Forest into a permanent switch.
Jones strengthened his goalkeeping department this summer with multiple players after Simon Sluga departed for Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria in January, with James Shea starting the majority of the remaining games of the 2021-22 season.
With Shea suffering a knee injury though in April, Jones was forced into the transfer market and not only did he sign towering Hibernian stopper Matt Macey, but Horvath also arrived at Kenilworth Road.
USA international Horvath arrived in England last year at Forest from Club Brugge of Belgium, but made just six appearances in the Championship as Brice Samba was the undisputed first-choice at the City Ground.
And with no real place in Steve Cooper's Premier League squad, Horvath was subsequently loaned out to Luton, where he has featured in every single minute of second tier action so far.
The regular football that the 27-year-old is getting could lead to Horvath staying in Bedfordshire on a long-term basis, with Jones suggesting that the club have plans in place for that particular scenario.
"He’s settled very quickly," Jones said, per Luton Today.
“Goalkeepers they’ve got three, four or five best mates already as they go off in their little group, but Ethan has earned the respect of everybody because of the way that he is.
"A real good guy, real character, he’s really diligent, positive, a pleasure to be around and he’s just rubbed off on everyone really.
"We don’t take loans, but we felt that when there’s an opportunity to really improve, then we take that gamble and then we always try to get an option, so there’s things in place that if we would like to make it permanent then I’m sure we can."
The Verdict
Despite his goal a game ratio of conceding, Horvath has kept five clean sheets already for Luton, which is pretty good going.
He didn't really get to show off his talents at Forest last season due to Brice Samba's form, but he did impress on the odd occasion - he was never going to get a chance in the Premier League however.
Luton aren't known for spending lots of cash, but this past summer they brought in both Carlton Morris and Cauley Woodrow for decent fees, so when they see fit they can show the finances that they do have to improve their squad.
If Horvath continues to impress, then it's seemingly inevitable that Luton will look to activate a permanent option that they may have - it makes sense to keep him around to continue the stability that he is showing.
