Shadow

Huddersfield Town transfer rumour roundup – Ward’s return, Leeds feeder club, offloading deadwood and an iffy goalkeeper link

by Terrier Spirit

Huddersfield Town return for their preseason training tomorrow after a short break following the conclusion of last season. As players and coaches return to work it’s likely we’ll see the transfer rumour mill will whirl into life after a very slow few weeks.

Despite the lack of transfer activity at Huddersfield Town, there have been rumblings about possible moves. Here’s a quick run down of the rumours that have been knocking about lately.

Danny Ward to make his comeback?

This rumour has had the most coverage this week and there could be something in it. Danny Ward, the chubby-faced attacker not the goalkeeper, played for Town back in the Lee Clark days and is currently available on a free transfer (though will expect the wages of an established Championship striker).

Ward showed a lot of promise when he was at Town but didn’t quite fulfil it for us. He’s gone on to become a better player, switched positions to a central striker and has consistently played at Championship level.

He made regular appearances (mostly from the bench) for Cardiff last year and scored a few goals in the process. Cardiff fans seem mostly sad to see him go as he’s been a consistent performer for them over the years.

I think he would be a smart addition to our squad even if he doesn’t set pulses racing. He’s the kind of experienced, quality player that Danny Cowley said we needed to sign this window. While he might not fit with the brave new visions at Town, he would help fill the gaps in the squad.

Robbie Gotts to rekindle his relationship with Carlos Corberán

It’s logical to assume that Carlos Corberán will look to loan the best of Leeds’ academy players that aren’t likely to feature in their first team next season. Robbie Gotts is widely regarded as one of the top prospects at Leeds and has made a few appearances for them in the last year, notably in the cup against Arsenal.

He would most likely play in one of the two more attacking slots in the midfield of the 433 system Town are keen on playing from now on.

This rumour has been kicking around for a while and has gone quiet lately. While the idea of being a Leeds United feeder club is a bit galling, it could be very useful to exploit Corberán’s connections with his old club.

Ramadan Sohbi to leave Town after never starting a game?

While Sohbi wasn’t Town’s most expensive mistake of the Premier League era, he was one of the most obviously misguided ones. Alarm bells rang when Stoke fans rejoiced at offloading the player to us for more than he was worth (not knowing we’d pulled off a similar trick with Tom Ince).

Most, if not all, of the transfer fee we paid has been recouped through loan fees from his old club in Egypt, Al Ahly, and he’s not been with Town for 18 months because of these loan stints.

There have been rumours flying around about him returning to Egypt or signing for an Italian club. Either way, it seems likely we won’t see him play for Town again if another club can pay us enough to cover our losses on him.

Reece Brown to spark bidding war among League One teams?

Reece Brown’s only Town appearance last season came in the disastrous Cup defeat to Lincoln, so he’s not had much of a chance at Town. He went away on loan to Peterborough and they’re rumoured to want to take him on permanently.

Other clubs have also been linked to the former Forest Green Rovers player so it could spark a bidding war. This may have been complicated by this week’s decision to implement a wage cap in League One, as that is where most of the interest is coming from.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Carlos Corberán wanted to see him train alongside the rest of the squad before sanctioning any permanent moves though as he’s still not had chance to prove himself.

Assistant coach that’s only half announced – Chicho Palach

This is a slightly odd situation because its not really a rumour but an unconfirmed fact. Chicho Pelach announced on Twitter that he was joining Corberán’s backroom team literally weeks ago but Town have yet to officially confirm it.

Most likely the club want to wait until he’s physically in the building and has recorded an interview where he described his favourite Netflix series and whether he keeps his Ketchup in the fridge or the cupboard. I don’t know why the club has become so slow to announce appointments that are widely reported elsewhere but that seems to be the current way of doing things.

Mbenza linked across europe but only from unreliable sources

It’s gone quiet lately but there were a few article a while back from unreliable sources saying sides in Europe were lining up a bid for Mbenza. I seem to remember Turkey being one of the possible destinations (this seems to be a regular potential destination for Town players that want to leave).

Given his less than glittering career at Town it might be that we can only offload him by loaning him with a view to a permanent transfer. The prospect of getting even a fraction of the money we paid for him now seems slim but a change in scenery may help him recapture his pre-Town form.

Here’s a minute of Mbenza’s “best” bits at Town.

https://twitter.com/axzcomps/status/1292111437008076801?s=19

New today! Leeds goalkeeper linked with Town

Today a new rumour has surfaced linking Town with Leeds’ goalkeeper, Kamil Miazek. Despite never making an appearance for Leeds, he’s apparently rated by Corberán and could be brought in to compete for the number 1 slot at Town.

I’m less convinced by this rumour than some of the others. Town need a goalkeeper and Leeds have one that is most likely surplus but that doesn’t mean it’s a good move for the parties involved. Given Town have a young goalkeeper hoping to breakthrough, it would be unusual to sign another player of a similar age that might block his progress unless he’s a significant step up in quality.

If we can get him on a permanent deal for either free or a small fee then it might come off but I can’t see us loaning a relatively young keeper this season. I’m expecting us to bring in a more experienced player that is likely to be more accepting of a role on the sidelines if Ryan Schofield can prove himself good enough.

Have I missed any rumours? Feel free to post them in the comments below.

Want to read more?

Find out about how you can influence the club’s decision-making process about letting fans back into the stadium.

Or you could read about the tough problems the club have to solve before allowing fans to return.

Curious about who might leave this transfer window? Read my thoughts on which players might be heading out of the door.