Luton hopes to sign a midfield player from a First Division club for a loan period in time to play against Reading on Saturday, and www.lutonfc.com has been informed that Fulham's Steve Hayward is the man that has has targeted.
Steve Hayward is 28 and 5'11" and has been unhappy at Craven Cottage after failing to establish a regular first-team place under French manager Jean Tigana.
The experienced midfielder has made 117 appearances for the First Division club in 3 and a half seasons; his last game for Fulham was in September, scoring in a 4-0 defeat of Chesterfield.
Fulham slapped a £300,000 price tag on his head earlier this season, which put both Birmingham and Barnsley off signing him. His contract expires at the end of the season, and is now so far out of the first-team picture that he is training with the Fulham Under-19 squad.
He would add some steel to the Luton midfield which has been missing throughout the season, and give competition for midfield places so players would get in the team each week on performances and not reputation.
Steve joined Fulham in a £175,000 move from Carlisle in July 1997. He was born and raised in Walsall, and won England caps at Under 17, 18 and 19 level while learning his trade at Derby with Arthur Cox. However, he made only 26 League appearances over seven seasons at Derby before joining Carlisle for £100,000 in March 1995. Hayward became captain of a promotion-winning team at Carlisle, and scored the winning goal in that season's Auto Windscreen Trophy in front of 76,000 at Wembley.
Luton's manager recently commented after the Darlington game, "We’re looking at a First Division midfield player. The manager of the club has said yes to a deal and we have talked about the player’s wages. The problem is he’s on good wages and the club are waiting to hear from the chairman to see whether they can help us pay him. If it does not happen in the next few days then it might in January."
Source lutonfc