Andre Boucaud joins Luton Town for £25000

[Tallman]

Brabin brings in Boucaud
lutontown.co.uk

The Town are pleased to announce the deadline day signing of midfielder Andre Boucaud from York City for a fee of £25,000.

The Trinidad & Tobago international has signed a contract until June 2013 and arrives at Kenilworth Road having appeared 44 times for the Minstermen.

Gary Brabin's latest capture has been attracting interest from a number of League and Conference clubs over the past 12 months with York rejecting a bid from league leaders Fleetwood Town only two weeks ago.

However, after lengthily, and ultimately successful, negotiations with York regarding his eligibility to face the his former club between now and the rest of the season, the Hatters have been able to prize the highly-rated midfielder away from Bootham Crescent.

And the manager was happy it was the Town, and not another club, that secured the 27-year-old's signature on Tuesday.

Brabin told lutontown.co.uk: "Andre isplayer who's been on our radar for a while now, and I'm delighted to be able to welcome him to Kenilworth Road. He is an excellent footballer, a lovely passer of the ball.

"He will fit into our style of playing good, attractive football. That's the way we like to the play here - it's the tradition of this football club.

"He will give us another dimension in midfield: he likes to keep the ball moving and he's always hungry to receive it and make things happen; he can really influence matches.

"He's a London boy and has always wanted a return down South. He's known that I've always been keen on him so this represents a fantastic opportunity for all parties, especially for Luton Town and Andre Boucaud.

"We know we need to make up ground on the top two and I know that Andre's got all the attributes to be a success here and help us in our quest for promotion."

Andre will squad number 17.

Stay tuned for a full interview with the Town's new man on Player coming soon.

And if you'd like to sponsor Andre's home and/or away shirt for the rest of the season you can from £200. Contact the commercial team on 01582 411622 or email commercial@lutontown.co.uk.

[Tallman]

Andre Boucaud - In Profile
lutontown.co.uk

New Town signing Andre Boucaud began his career in the QPR academy but following the loss of the Rangers' academy status in 2000 he signed for Reading in 2001, going onto a sign pro forms with the Royals a year later.

The Enfield-born midfielder was loaned out to Peterborough at the end of the 2002/03 season and again at the start of the following campaign.

The Royals released him at the end of the 2003/04 campaign and it was back to Peterborough for a third time, signing a two-year deal. In 2005, though he was out on loan once more, joining then Conference side Aldershot Town.

His contract at London Road expired in 2006 where he made the short hop to sign for Kettering Town, then in the Conference North, but after one season with the Poppies he was on the move again, joining Wycombe Wanderers - then managed by current Norwich boss Paul Lambert - on a one-year deal.

It was back to Kettering the following season in 2008/09 which saw him make 40 appearances in a hugely successful campaign at Rockingham Road that saw the Poppies defeated in the FA Cup fourth round to Premier League Fulham.

He signed a new contract in May 2010 but after being placed on the transfer list in a bid to keep the wage bill down at Kettering, his impressive performances were still catching the eye of visiting scouts, and in November 2010 he signed for York City, originally on-loan before making the move permanently in January 2011.

His international career began in 2004 when, as a 19-year-old, he made his debut for Trinidad & Tobago in a 2-0 win over Iraq at West Bromwich Albion - one of six caps he's gained for the Soca Warriors.

More recently he was capped up for the Trinidad squad in September 2011 for their World Cup 2014 qualifiers against Bermuda and Barbados.

He last played at Kenilworth Road as a York in player in the Town's 5-0 win over the Minstermen in January last year and was influential against the Town in York's 3-0 win at Bootham Cresent earlier this season.

[theworm2345]

This is a good move, Luton are a big club (certainly for that level) with a lot of history (they were in the top tier only 20 years ago) and are definitely upwardly mobile, lost in the playoff final last year to AFC Wimbledon.  I think they're third in the league right now.

[Tallman]

New £25K man Boucaud eyes Luton league escape
By James Cunliffe (Bedfordshire News)

Luton got one over Blue Square Bet Premier leaders Fleetwood yesterday after snaring transfer target Andre Boucaud who then hailed the Hatters as a club in the wrong division.

The Cod Army had a bid for the 27-year-old turned down by York City earlier this month but a £25,000 offer from Kenilworth Road was accepted for the Trinidad & Tobago international and a deal was done that will see him stay until June 2013.

“Luton is the biggest club in this league,” said Boucaud. “They should be in League Two and I hope I’m the guy that can help take them across the line.”

The ten-point gap separating his new club and the one he could have signed for is not lost on the Peterborough and Kettering man but he still refused to rule out a title challenge.

“It’s not mathematically out of the question and while it’s not totally out of reach we’ll still be aiming for automatic promotion,” he said.

“It is out of our hands because we need the other teams to slip up but we’ve just got to keep picking up points, putting the pressure on and if it ends up being the play-offs then that is still a chance to get promoted.”

Having played at Bootham Crescent, the midfielder knows what it is like to perform under the pressure of expectant fans at a former Football League club.

This season however, Luton's average attendance is almost double that of York's, but it is not something that fazes Boucaud.

He said: “Every player wants to play in front of big crowds and you have to thrive on these opportunities.

“It can add pressure but those are the times when you’ve got to stand up, be counted and graft for results.” He added: “I spoke to the gaffer [Gary Brabin], he’s a good guy and I like what he wants to do.

“He has bought me and given me another opportunity to get back into the Football League so I’m just ready to give 100 per cent for Luton.”

At least Boucaud, who started his career at Reading and has also played for Wycombe Wanderers and Aldershot, will be among familiar faces when he takes part in training for the first time today.

He said: “I know James Dance and Greg Taylor from when we were at Kettering together and I know Paul Carden from playing at Peterborough.

I’ve seen a few of them but I didn’t really need to put in any phone calls to know what the club is about. There have been a few little texts and they’ve got no bad words to say.”

[Tallman]

Frustrating delay for Boucaud
By James Cunliffe (Bedofrdshire News)

Andre Boucaud was a cut-price bargain according to Gary Brabin and now the Luton boss is just desperate to show off his purchase.

The midfielder signed on transfer deadline day from York City for £25,000 but a combination of the current cold snap and being cuptied has made it a frustrating fortnight at for all concerned.

And yesterday’s postponed Blue Square Bet Premier game at Forest Green Rovers means that the wait for Boucaud’s debut will now stretch to at least the three-week mark.

“When you see some of the money people are paying in this league now, I don’t think it’s a massive sum,” Brabin said of his latest signing.

“There are a lot of teams and some of the so-called lesser teams are paying bigger money for players.

“It’s good business for the club.

He’s a good player and we just want him to come in now, show what he’s capable of and help us achieve our goal.”

The manager added: “Andre has settled in really well. The conditions haven’t been ideal but we are delighted as a coaching staff that we’ve been able to get in what we’ve needed.

"We can see what a good player Andre is. I’m sure he’s enjoying his time here and he’s chomping at the bit to play.”