Luton key player has made decision to exit the club amid negotiations with club boss

After his long run of games had previously made him feel “invincible,” former Luton defender Amari’i Bell acknowledged that the injury issues that plagued his final two seasons at Kenilworth Road were a “humbling experience.” Before the amount of games he was playing and his frequent call-ups for the Reggae Boyz took their toll, the Jamaican international played just 21 times in his first Premier League season after waiting more than ten years to play. He had signed on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2021 and had hardly missed a game during his first two years in Bedfordshire, starting 86 of the 92 league games Town played in as well as all five of their play-off games.

Due to a hamstring injury sustained against Aston Villa in March, Bell missed the last 12 games. He also experienced more hamstring issues last season, making only 31 appearances in the Championship as Town fell back into League One, finishing third last, with a 5-3 loss at West Bromwich Albion on the last day confirming their relegation.

“It’s a league you always want to play in,” Bell stated in an interview with the club’s official website, describing the difficulties that limited his availability during the past two years, particularly in the top division of English football. I’ve always thought I could play in the Premier League; all I wanted was the chance. It didn’t go as anticipated for me, particularly because of the injury, which kept me out of many games. However, it was incredible to be able to represent myself in the Premiership, and I don’t believe anyone can take that away from me.

Both former managers Nathan Jones and Rob Edwards made sure Bell was a mainstay of Town’s defence because he had struggled for regular game time at Ewood Park before joining the Hatters. Bell stated: “I feel like the previous few years before I joined, I played half a game each season so I needed to come somewhere where I felt the love from my team-mates, the fans, the staff and I felt that more than ever, so it definitely worked in my favour.”