Luton Town manager Nathan Jones insists he always knew Kal Naismith was going to sign for Bristol City despite the Hatters’ claims last month they were in the dark over the deal until the Robins made an official announcement.
Naismith reported for pre-season with City this week having signed a three-year contract at Ashton Gate, with the deal announced on Friday, May 27 in what was a significant blow for Luton given the Scottish centre-back was their reigning Player of the Year.
In a statement the following day, Luton insisted: “We were surprised to discover from our fellow Championship club’s announcement, without advance warning as is the usual etiquette, that the 30-year-old has rejected the opportunity of a new contract at Kenilworth Road.”
That meant the first Luton would have been aware of Naismith rejecting them for a rival Championship club was when, in a video posted on City's Twitter page, he leant into a fridge on the Ashton Gate roof to grab a can of Irn Bru accompanied by the banner message, "Kal Naismith is a Robin".
Luton repeated the accusation again on Monday stating: "There was no communication from Bristol City to Luton Town at any other level, as is the usual process for a player still under contract. This meant that sadly, our supporters found out from Bristol City rather than ourselves."
However, Jones has revealed that he was in communication with Naismith throughout the whole process and was aware that City had been able to offer the 30-year-old a more lucrative and longer contract than he would have earned at Kenilworth Road.
“I have a fantastic relationship with Kal, and myself and him were communicating right throughout the process,” he told Luton’s official website.
“As a club we did all we could. It’s just at Kal’s age, with the contract that Bristol City offer, a lot of Championship clubs are in a position to offer that and we just couldn’t compete, which we realised. We thank Kal for his services.”
Naismith’s time in Bedfordshire saw him successfully convert from a versatile winger/forward into a fully fledged Championship-level centre-back, with his role on the left of Jones’ back three absolutely crucial in helping the Hatters secure a play-off place last season.
The former Rangers academy player has stated that centre-back is his preferred position and while City manager Nigel Pearson is yet to disclose where he sees him primarily lining up for the forthcoming campaign, Naismith’s tactical flexibility is likely to have been a big driver behind City’s decision to offer him a three-year contract.
"We signed him as Wigan’s right winger, having played just a handful of games at centre-half,” Jones added. "Look at him now in that position.
“Kal and I will maintain a great relationship. I realise his reasons for moving on and he kept me privately abreast of every move he was making."
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