Players such as James Justin and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu are names frequently mentioned in the gossip columns when the transfer windows open, but according to Jones the club is in a strong enough position to turn down big bids.

He said: "I am very proud as we're a developing club – part of my job that I'm very proud of is that we develop players. We make players better, we coach them every day, so if they weren't going to get better, then why am I doing it?

"Then we have to get them to certain levels as I want them to have fantastic careers, I want them to have fantastic careers with Luton Town.

"But there will come a point when there is a decision, either they move quicker than Luton, or we move quicker than them, or we both move at the same pace. Hopefully, I see my players every day and they're moving at a fantastic rate, so if the club can move and we can move as a team as quick as them, then we're in a fantastic position.

"If not, then people are going to look at them. In terms of the formation we play, how we play, how we develop, people are looking at them, but that doesn't mean to say we're going to lose any because the club's very, very strong and in a strong position. Not one player that we've lost we haven't replaced in abundance really, or used the money in a good way. So we're in a good place, no worries or fears.

"It's not just about them going from this football club, it's about them at 35, looking back and thinking 'what were the best things in my career?' So what we do is we put a process in place that advises them, that coaches them, that puts them in a wonderful environment, so that they can have the best career possible.

"Now the best career possible doesn't mean you just jump at the first opportunity, it means that when it's time that they've gone above and we're not taking them forward at a rate that they need to, then we make that decision. Then we hope we find the best club for them that means that they're going to kick on again, because they're not cattle, we don't just sell them on for the highest price, we care about our players.

"We've got great individuals, great human beings here that we want to see doing well. I'd love to see players playing for England, in the Premier League, once they've reached their full potential here, or, they move forward with us, they're here for 10 years and we become that, we've taken them.

"So, if the club and the player are having a competition to see who can get in the Premier League first, then what a wonderful thing we have.

"We understand where we are at this point in time that when a fantastic offer comes in for a fantastic young player, or middle-aged player, or whoever it is, that we could be holding them back to not let them go, then that's a decision that we make and we make the right one. We don't make stuff selfishly or willy-nilly.

"But right at this time the club are moving forward, the team are moving forward, individuals are moving forward, so we can all move forward together. No-one leaves the club that we don't want to leave and that's a credit to the board, credit to the club, credit to everyone involved because no-one's in a hurry to leave here, and that's a good thing.

"We have young players, their agents, their advisers, their parents, themselves, are quite content to continue their development here because they know that they're moving along at a very good rate."