Luton Town confirm signing of Devante Cole and loan exit of Christ Makosso

Luton Town have confirmed one incoming and one outgoing, with the club signing striker Devante Cole while defender Christ Makosso left on loan.

Cole, 30, joins Luton from Port Vale on what the club described as “a permanent deal”, with no fee or contract length publicly disclosed.

Makosso, meanwhile, has left Kenilworth Road to join Championship side Oxford United on loan for the rest of the season, with the 21-year-old defender reuniting with his former Hatters boss Matt Bloomfield at the Kassam Stadium.

The deals come in the final days of the January transfer window, which closes at 7pm tomorrow (02/02). Both deals were confirmed too late for either Cole or Makosso to play for their respective new clubs yesterday (31/01).

The deal to sign Cole is Luton’s third new signing of the January 2026 window, following the previously announced loan signings of Emilio Lawrence and Kasey Palmer.

Cole, son of former England, Newcastle and Manchester United star Andy Cole, had scored 8 times for League One’s bottom side Port Vale so far this season after signing from West Brom, including scoring in a match between Luton and Port Vale in December.

In an arrival interview with the club, Cole told the club’s official website that he was happy to make the move official.

He said, “It’s been a long week, but I’m very happy to get it over the line. Since I first became aware of the interest, I wanted to be a Luton player and I’m glad it’s finally at this point.

“I’ve been to Kenilworth Road a few times and it’s always a hard place for an opposition team to play, but I’m looking forward to getting out there with the fans behind me now.

“It always helps you settle in quickly at a new club when there are familiar faces, and I know Mads very well from my time at Barnsley and Kal from when we were at Wigan together, so I’m sure all the lads will be good. I can’t wait to get going now.”

Meanwhile, defender Makosso has made the loan exit to the Championship strugglers Oxford. He makes the move after a year with the Hatters, having joined Luton from Belgian second tier club RWD Molenbeek in January 2025.

In all, he made 28 appearances for the club, including 11 in league matches this season, though had slipped down the pecking order following Jack Wilshere’s appointment as Head Coach.

The defender is the latest Luton man to make a loan exit this month, with Millenic Alli, Zack Nelson, Ethon Archer, Joe Gbode and Jerry Yates all making short-term exits from Kenilworth Road in the January window so far.