Since the flurry of transfer activity in early July, Huddersfield Town have more than enough players to name in their 25-man squad for their first year back in the top-flight. However, are they all Premier League standard players?
In this article, we’ll look at each position in David Wagner’s 4-2-3-1 formation to see if there are two players for each position on the pitch that are good enough to compete in the Premier League.
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Goalkeeper
With Danny Ward going back to Liverpool we were always going to need to strengthen in this area in the summer. Jonas Lössl has come in on a season-long loan with an option to buy, and he looks like a capable replacement. It’s hard to judge keepers from their highlights but he seems at least on a par with Danny Ward, so a good first choice. His distribution looks incredibly good and he seems to command his box well, judging from the friendlies I’ve watched.
Joel Coleman performed admirably for Town last season when he was called upon and I think he’s good enough to be backup this season too. He may hardly play or could become essential but I’d personally like to see him trusted as Lössl’s understudy and given a run in the cups.
It’s also worth mentioning Ryan Schofield has been called up to England Under 20s and helped them to win the Toulon tournament at the age of 17. He’s probably more one for the future rather than someone to call upon now. It may be that Wagner would prefer to get someone else to act as 3rd choice and get Schofield out on loan to gain experience.
Terrier Spirit opinion: We’ve a strong first-choice keeper in Lössl, and Coleman did well last year so deserves another chance to be in the first team. It’s also possible that Ryan Schofield could push his way into contention too. Wagner may consider getting more experienced cover for Lössl but I hope he keeps faith with the young keepers we have in reserve.
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Right-back
Tommy Smith excelled in the right-back position last season and I’m confident that he’ll make the step up to the Premier League. He provided 10 assists last season, and every area of his game improved from the year before.
Sadly Smith has missed a large chunk of pre-season because of the broken foot he got in the playoff final. Martin Crainie and Sean Scannell have both played at right-back in the early friendly games but neither has been convincing, according to fan reports on social media.
Demitri Cavaré has come in on trial from French club Rennes, and looks like the leading contender to be signed at right-back. His performance in the Udinese friendly left me uncertain about his level of fitness though and he made a mistake that led to a goal. While everyone makes mistakes, it wasn’t great to see him trotting back towards goal after his blunder, rather than fighting to win back possession.
Terrier Spirit opinion: It’s very likely we’ll bring another right-back in before the start of the season. Cavaré would be the easy option but it doesn’t mean he’s the best one. If Wagner doesn’t think he’s seen enough potential in him I suspect he’ll look to buy someone else. This could potentially be Andy Yiadom from Barnsley if the transfer rumours are to be believed.
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Left-back
This position is pretty much sewn-up. Chris Lowe was consistently good last season and fits very well into the system. I think he’s one of the best players we’ve got at defending one-on-one so don’t have any concerns about him stepping up.
Scott Malone has joined the club in the summer and provides stiff competition for Lowe. Malone was in the Championship Team of the Season ahead of Lowe, so that alone tells you he’s a quality player.
Terrier Spirit opinion: It’ll be interesting to see which of these two ends up being the first-choice but I’d be happy with either of them. There’s no need to strengthen in this area of the squad.
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Centre-backs
Schindler and Hefele formed a strong partnership last season and gave the team a solid defensive base to play out from. Both are comfortable with the ball at their feet and drop deep to receive possession from the keeper.
Mattias “Zanka” Jorgensen has also come in this summer and seems like an incredibly good value signing. He’s an international, has won a lot of silverware in Denmark and has Champions League experience. Beyond that he seems like a big personality and a player approaching his prime. I suspect he’ll be a first-choice pick alongside Christopher Schindler.
Mark Hudson and Jon Stankovic are the two other recognised centre backs in the squad. I expect Hudson’s biggest contribution this season will be as a coach rather than a player but he may be called upon if injuries strike. Stankovic will miss the start of the season to injury and it may take him a while to regain match fitness, so is an unknown quantity.
If two of the three obvious choices at centre-back aren’t available, Wagner can call upon Martin Cranie or even Dean Whitehead to play in this area. Neither would be ideal in the long term but both could do a job if called upon.
Terrier Spirit opinion: In Schindler, Hefele and Zanka we’ve got three centre-backs that I believe can do well for Town in the Premier League. We’ve got plenty of other players that could potentially provide cover in this area too, so I don’t see any need to strengthen.
Deep-lying midfielders
Jonathan Hogg and Aaron Mooy built a great partnership in the middle of the park last season, their individual styles compliment each other well and I hope they are given a chance together in the Premier League.
Danny Williams has come in to provide competition in the defensive midfield, in direct competition with Hogg. If Williams can perform in the Premier League as well as he did in the playoff final we’ve got another top-quality midfielder.
Phillip Billing can provide cover for the playmaker role that Mooy plays. He doesn’t have the same vision or drive as Mooy but definitely has enough ability to do well. It could be that the Premier League will be better suited to his style of play.
Terrier Spirit opinion: I think we’re doing well in this area. Mooy is possibly the best player I’ve seen play for Town in my time of watching. Hogg and Williams are both very capable defensive midfielders. Phillip Billing has bags of potential and this could be his breakthrough year.
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Attacking midfielders
Kasey Palmer and Izzy Brown both played well in this role last season. It’s great that we’ve managed to get Kasey Palmer back from Chelsea for another year. He’s a classy player and links the midfield and attack well.
Jack Payne is the other player that specialises in the role behind the main striker but is now on a season-long loan with Oxford United. I liked the look of him when he first arrived but I’m not convinced he’s got the technical quality to play in the top flight, so I’m pleased he’s got a chance to get games elsewhere.
Tom Ince, Nahki Wells or Elias Kachunga could all try their luck in this role if they can’t get game time in their preferred position. Otherwise, we look like we may be a bit light in this area.
Terrier Spirit opinion: I think we’ve got wingers and strikers that could adapt to the number 10 role, but Kasey Palmer is the only Premier League quality player on our books that specialises in this position. I think it’s an area we could do with strengthening in.
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Wingers
Tom Ince, Elias Kachunga, and Rajiv Van Le Para are all potential starters out on the wings. All three have plenty of quality on the ball, with Ince and Kachunga also having goal threat. RVP’s end product could be improved, both shooting and crossing, but I think he could be a surprise package for us this season.
It’s also likely Collin Quaner will play out wide more than he does up front this season. I wasn’t sure about Collin until the second leg of the play-off semi-final. We absolutely wouldn’t be in the Premier League if it wasn’t for him. He swung the game in our direction that night with his unorthodox approach to wing play. For his contribution that night alone, I think he deserves a chance to prove himself at this level.
Terrier Spirit opinion: When you consider Joe Lolley, Harry Bunn and Sean Scanell aren’t mentioned above you can see we have plenty of wingers on our books. I suspect we’re more likely to see some of those fringe players leave than us recruit any more wingers.
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Strikers
This was the area of the pitch where we struggled the most last season. Nahki Wells didn’t have enough competition, with both Kachunga and Quaner looking better when played out wide.
Wagner has brought in Laurent Depoitre and Steve Mounie this summer, so it seems like we’ve addressed the problem. Mounié looks like the better finisher and more mobile, but Depoitre does a lot of defensive work from the front and is an absolute beast.
It now seems fairly likely we’ll let Nahki Wells go if a decent offer comes in for him, given David Wagner’s recent statements. It would be a shame to see Nahki go, but he’s likely to be third in line for a striking position so it’s understandable. Quaner and Kachunga can both play up top if needed, so there wouldn’t be too much of a problem if Nahki does go.
Terrier Spirit opinion: There’s going to be a lot of competition for the striker position and that can only be a good thing. Mounié looks like a very exciting prospect, Depoitre looks like his natural game will suit our pressing game, and Nahki Wells may still get his chance in the Premier League with us if a suitor doesn’t materialise.
Overall opinion on Town’s Premier League squad
This is the best Huddersfield Town squad I’ve ever known. We’ve going to be playing in a very competitive league this season and some of the players mentioned above may struggle. Every promoted club has players fail that are expected to do well and other players that come out of the shadows and excel.
I think we already had a good but small squad of players at the start of the summer and we’ve recruited well to build up that squad. A right-back and an advanced playmaker would give us better competition and more cover but neither are essential given the fringe players we already have.
Given that we have to name a 25-man squad at the start of the season I think we’ll see some players move on if any new players do arrive. Sean Scannell, Joe Lolley, Harry Bunn and Martin Cranie are probably the players that are most likely to leave. All of them have done well for us in the past though, so I’d have no problem with any of them being given a chance to provide competition for places if there’s room in the squad.
I think up to three more acquisitions are possible – and one name that I am especially sure of signing on the dotted line is Andy Yiadom of Barnsley. He’s not accepted a new contact at Barnsley if I’ve heard it correctly. This must be in anticipation of another bid from us, which Barnsley are bound to accept. You can’t have an unsettled player at a club when he wants out.