Luton, London · England · League One
Power-ranking history
Against expectation
Every English top-flight match this club has played, scored against the odds an Elo rating gave it before kick-off. Over 17 seasons from 1955-56 to 2023-24 it has fallen short of them by −10.0 match points.
Season points use that season’s own scoring, two for a win before 1981-82 and three after; the bars use match points so the whole series is comparable.The rating only starts telling you much after about 1960. Before that, knowing the era’s home-and-away split is almost as good as knowing the teams.
What the squad was worth
Total market value of the squad, EUR millions, by month; the player count beside it is the size of the priced squad.
How this is measured
Drawn as a step, not a curve: Transfermarkt reprices every squad in December and June (marked with a small tick on the axis) and revalues continuously between, so the line only moves when a real valuation changed, never by interpolation.
A month renders no value at all once the priced squad falls below 15 players, so a thin squad is never shown as a cheap one. The series is floored at July 2012on purpose: earlier Transfermarkt totals reflect which players happened to be priced yet rather than the squad’s real worth, and are excluded rather than shown misleadingly low.
Upstream (dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets) has been paused since July 2026, so the series ends where the source ends rather than where the season does.
Player valuations from Transfermarkt via github.com/dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets (CC0).
What the squad was worth€91m
The money ledger
Fees paid and received each season, and what the squad was worth once the trading is netted out.
How this is measured
Spent is the fees paid for players arriving, received the fees for players leaving, both in EUR millions by the July-to-June season of the move. A move with no fee on record (a free, a loan, an undisclosed sum) is counted, never priced: the small figure beside each total is the moves with a fee, plus those without (so 4+3 is four priced arrivals and three unpriced), and a quiet window is not mistaken for a cheap one. Wages are not here: they are estimates nobody licenses, and fees are documented.
Appreciationis the season’s change in squad value with the net spend taken out: buy 100m of players and finish 100m higher is zero; finish 120m higher and the club made 20m of players better, or the market repriced them. It needs a priced squad at both ends of the season (the same 15-player floor as the value chart), so it is blank rather than guessed for a season that lacks one.
The source has been paused since 6 July 2026, so the final row holds only the opening days of its window.
Transfer fees and player valuations from Transfermarkt via github.com/dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets (CC0).
The money ledger−€4m
Grown or bought: in 2025-26, trading +€3m and appreciation —. Over the last 5 seasons (2021-22–2025-26), trading −€11m and appreciation unpriced.
The director’s ledger: 58 arrivals graded since 2022-23, 90% EV-positive. €37m deployed for a 1.4× multiplier.
Show all 14 seasons
Money against football
Every priced club-season in the six leagues: points against expectation across, squad value gained beyond the net spend up. This club’s seasons are joined.
Tap or drag on the plot: the nearest club-season, its points and its money.
Greatest games
Luton Town's top matches by the club Game Score: closeness, stakes, quality and upset over one unified rating of league and European play.All-time board.
| # | Date | Stage | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1988-04-24 | League Cup · Final | NW 3-2 v Arsenal | game score 68.1 |
| 2 | 1988-04-09 | FA Cup · Semifinals | NL 1-2 v Wimbledon | game score 65.3 |
| 3 | 1959-05-02 | FA Cup · Final | NL 1-2 v Nottingham Forest | game score 63.2 |
| 4 | 1952-03-08 | FA Cup · Quarterfinals | HL 2-3 v Arsenal | game score 62.7 |
| 5 | 1985-04-13 | FA Cup · Semifinals | NL 1-2 v Everton | game score 59.9 |
| 6 | 1986-03-12 | FA Cup · Quarterfinals | AL 0-1 v Everton | game score 58.9 |
| 7 | 1937-01-20 | FA Cup · Round 3 | AW 2-1 v Blackpool | game score 57.1 |
| 8 | 1952-02-18 | FA Cup · Round 4 | HW 3-2 v Brentford | game score 54.8 |
| 9 | 1986-03-22 | First Division | HW 2-1 v Everton | game score 54.2 |
| 10 | 1950-01-07 | FA Cup · Round 3 | HL 3-4 v Grimsby Town | game score 54.1 |
Footprint
The Heartbreak Index8.8 · #225
The Damned · Major trophy, 1988
The Heartbreak Index8.8 · #225
The Damned · Major trophy, 1988
- Major trophy since 19886.4
- Major final appearance since 19893.1
relegated from the top flight, 2024 · relegated from the second tier, 2025 · relegated from the top flight, 1960 · relegated from the top flight, 1992
One formula, every club the site covers. See the whole board →
Season-by-season
Most recent season first. Covers Levels 1 through 5 of the English pyramid. Rows tagged "national playoff" are pre-modern formats where the workbook records only playoff participants, not round-robin standings.
Show all 104 seasons
Domestic Cup Finals
Most recent first. Every domestic cup final the club has played, including losses. Scheduled finals (date not yet passed) are flagged.