# Joe Johnson (footballer, born 2006)
**Joe Johnson** (Joseph Nathan Johnson, born 2006) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for [EFL League One](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-league-one) club Luton Town, wearing the number 12 shirt.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) • [2](https://www.lutontown.co.uk/teams/) A product of the Luton Town academy, he has also represented England at under-17, under-18, and under-19 level.[3](https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe934414/joe-johnson/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Joseph Nathan Johnson, 2006, Barnet, England[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) |
| Position | Left-back; listed secondary position center-back; left-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) |
| Club | Luton Town (senior career from 2023; signed 6 February 2023), shirt number 12[4](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=174390) • [2](https://www.lutontown.co.uk/teams/) |
| Senior record | 30 appearances, 2,042 minutes, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 red card for Luton (Opta, 2022 to present)[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/844/joe-johnson/career) |
| England youth | 1 cap at U17 (FIFA U-17 World Cup), 5 at U18, 11 at U19, 0 goals[3](https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe934414/joe-johnson/) • [1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) |
| First senior goal | EFL Trophy, 22 September 2026, Luton 6-0 Ipswich Town U21[4](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=174390) |
| Market value | €400,000 (Transfermarkt, updated 12 May 2026); agent Unique Sports Group[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) |
## Early life and youth career
Johnson was born in Barnet, England, in 2006.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) Transfermarkt's record of his youth clubs matches the Arsenal and Focus Football spells.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818)
His listed height varies across databases: Transfermarkt and FBref give 1.80 m, worldfootball.net gives 187 cm, and Sofascore gives 193 cm.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) • [6](https://fbref.com/en/players/d9e7c4da/Joseph-Johnson) • [3](https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe934414/joe-johnson/) • [7](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/joe-johnson/825550)
## Club career
**Luton Town.** Johnson signed his first senior terms with Luton on 6 February 2023 and made his Championship debut in the 2022-23 season at age 16, coming on as a substitute twice for a total of 37 league minutes.[4](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=174390) • [5](https://theanalyst.com/players/844/joe-johnson/career) • [6](https://fbref.com/en/players/d9e7c4da/Joseph-Johnson)
In 2025-26, Luton's first season in League One, he featured in 18 league games (1,460 minutes) and recorded his first senior assist.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/844/joe-johnson/career) Luton retained him on the senior squad list published in May 2026.[8](https://luton-v3-web-production.stadion.io/en/news/luton-town-retained-and-released-list-2026)
**First goal and 2026-27.** On 22 September 2026, Johnson scored his first goal for the club, dinking the ball over the goalkeeper as Luton beat Ipswich Town Under-21s 6-0 in the [EFL Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-trophy) (the Jersey Mike's Subs Trophy).[4](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=174390) • [9](https://thelutonian.com/wilshere-johnson-is-top-level-on-the-ball-but-must-master-other-side-of-game/) It was his fourth appearance of the season and his first involvement in a Luton victory that term.[9](https://thelutonian.com/wilshere-johnson-is-top-level-on-the-ball-but-must-master-other-side-of-game/) In League One 2026-27 he had made 3 appearances for 178 minutes by mid-October 2026, mostly used off the bench.[10](https://theanalyst.com/players/844/joe-johnson)
## Playing style and manager assessment
Luton manager [Jack Wilshere](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-wilshere), appointed after a playing career with Arsenal and England, has described Johnson's work on the ball as "top level", particularly his ability to move inside from full-back into midfield and change the rhythm of the game, while stating that the young defender must keep developing the defensive side of his game to hold a regular place.[9](https://thelutonian.com/wilshere-johnson-is-top-level-on-the-ball-but-must-master-other-side-of-game/) Wilshere noted that Johnson's inside-movement profile differs from Luton's other full-back options, and that young full-backs in League One are routinely tested with diagonal balls toward any perceived weakness out of possession.[9](https://thelutonian.com/wilshere-johnson-is-top-level-on-the-ball-but-must-master-other-side-of-game/)
## International career
Johnson received his first England under-17 call-up in November 2023 and played one match at the [FIFA U-17 World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-17-world-cup), starting and playing 76 minutes with one yellow card.[11](https://hattersheritage.co.uk/players/joe-johnson-p1346) • [3](https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe934414/joe-johnson/) He then earned 5 caps for England U18 in friendlies (253 minutes) and progressed to the U19 squad, for which Transfermarkt and worldfootball.net credit him 11 caps and no goals.[3](https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe934414/joe-johnson/) • [1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818) His U19 debut came against Italy in September 2024, and by May 2025 he had nine caps at that level when Luton announced his call-up to the England U19 squad for the European Championship in Romania, where England were drawn with Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands in [Group B](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-b) under head coach Will Antwi, a former Luton defender.[12](https://www.lutontown.co.uk/en/news/johnson-receives-england-euro-call)
## References
1. [Joe Johnson, player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/joe-johnson/profil/spieler/1088818)
2. [First Team squads, Luton Town FC](https://www.lutontown.co.uk/teams/)
3. [Joe Johnson: Career, Stats & Clubs, worldfootball.net](https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe934414/joe-johnson/)
4. [Joe Johnson, Football Stats, Soccer Base](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=174390)
5. [Joe Johnson Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/844/joe-johnson/career)
6. [Joseph Johnson Stats, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/d9e7c4da/Joseph-Johnson)
7. [Joe Johnson stats and ratings, Sofascore](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/joe-johnson/825550)
8. [Luton Town Retained and Released List 2026, Luton Town FC](https://luton-v3-web-production.stadion.io/en/news/luton-town-retained-and-released-list-2026)
9. [Wilshere: Johnson is 'top level' on the ball but must master 'other side' of game, The Lutonian](https://thelutonian.com/wilshere-johnson-is-top-level-on-the-ball-but-must-master-other-side-of-game/)
10. [Joe Johnson, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/844/joe-johnson)
11. [Joe Johnson, Hatters Heritage](https://hattersheritage.co.uk/players/joe-johnson-p1346)
12. [Johnson receives England Euro call, Luton Town FC](https://www.lutontown.co.uk/en/news/johnson-receives-england-euro-call)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2015–present › Defenders › Full-backs and wing-backs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license