Former Hartlepool United loanee seals "special" return to League One side

The hugely versatile 33-year-old, who can operate at centre-half, left-back, central-midfield, out wide or up front, returns to Kenilworth Road for a third time.

Naismith made 68 appearances during an initial spell after signing for the Hatters in January 2021 and featured 10 times on loan at the back end of last season in an unsuccessful attempt to stave off the threat of relegation to League One.

Now, the experienced Naismith has penned a permanent contract in Bedfordshire having spent the last three years at Bristol City, where he made 53 appearances. Naismith struggled for opportunities in Liam Manning's side last term and played just seven times before his loan move to Luton in February. He made five starts and five substitute appearances in the final couple of months of a miserable campaign for the Hatters as they suffered back-to-back relegations, returning to League One just two years after memorably reaching the Premier League.

Having come through the ranks at Rangers, the former Scotland under-17 international enjoyed spells at the likes of Accrington Stanley and Portsmouth, scoring 15 goals in the 2016/17 campaign as Pompey were crowned League Two champions. It was during his stay at Fratton Park that Naismith spent a brief loan spell at Pools, featuring four times in the North East.

After leaving Portsmouth in 2018, Naismith signed for Championship side Wigan, playing 84 games for the Latics, before moving to Luton for the first time in 2021 and helping them reach the Championship play-off semi-finals.

Having secured the signing of Naismith, Hatters boss Matt Bloomfield has backed the new recruit to have a big impact on and off the pitch ahead of the new campaign.

"It's really important that Kal is signing for us," he told Luton's official club website.

"He's an incredibly well-respected figure here and has a fantastic history with our football club.

"Above all, he has fantastic leadership and organisational skills and he's going to play an integral part for us on and off the pitch."

Naismith, meanwhile, hailed his return to Kenilworth Road as a "special" move as he approaches the twilight of his career.

He said: "Coming back on loan was amazing, but coming back now as a Luton player is special, and I'm so happy.

"I wanted to continue the journey, so there was no other option in my head. Some clubs just fit, and this club just fits for me. At this stage of my career, I'm still so hungry to be successful and play games.

"I've not signed a lifetime contract but look, I would love to, I would tomorrow, because this is where I want to play until I'm done."

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