Grimsby Town Football Club can confirm that it has agreed terms with Sky Bet Championship side Luton Town for the transfer of John McAtee for an undisclosed fee. As part of the agreement, John will be immediately returning to the Mariners on loan until the end of the 2022/23 season.

McAtee signed as a free agent following the end of his contract at Scunthorpe United in the summer of 2021. going on to quickly become a fan-favourite at Blundell Park. In his first season at the club, McAtee scooped multiple Player of the Year awards in a season where the attacker scored 16 goals in all competitions in 39 appearances, including the equaliser at the London Stadium as the Mariners secured promotion back to the EFL.

Mariners Chair Jason Stockwood spoke to gtfc.co.uk following the transfer being agreed.

“We obviously really wanted to keep John at Grimsby Town and we offered him a new deal in the close season to get him on a longer contract. But John has ambitions to play at a higher level and we respect that and didn’t want to stand in his way. We knew there was a good chance we’d probably end up losing John on a free at the end of the season, and so at least by letting him go now, the Club has been able to benefit from his transfer.

“Also, we are delighted that Luton Town have agreed to loan him back to us for the rest of the season, so we’ll still get to see John wearing the black and white shirt for a little while longer. That was a big incentive for us to agree to the transfer. John’s performances last season have made him a favourite with the fans and we are delighted to be able to build on that during this campaign.”