“The transfer went badly wrong” – Some thoughts on Huddersfield Town’s retained list

As is tradition shortly after the end of the season, Huddersfield Town released their retained list yesterday. Very few players were offered new deals, with only Toffolo and Koroma being offered new deals and they were only one-year extensions on existing deals rather than proper new contracts.

This list suggests that Town are planning to be busy in the transfer market this summer or intend to promote youngsters into the first team. It’s hard to be too objective about what this list means without seeing what we are going to replace these players with. It’s possible that we’ve already lined up high quality players to come in and improve the squad or maybe we’re just trying to trim the wage bill. We’ll know more by the end of the upcoming transfer window at the start of September.

Renewed contracts:

Harry Toffolo – Given his excellent finish to last season and his consistent level of performances, it’s no surprise we’ve triggered his extension. However, this extra year doesn’t give us a lot of security as other clubs will be sniffing around him either with a view to picking him up for free next summer or to snap up now for a relatively low fee because Town will fear letting him leave for nothing. Getting him tied to a new, long-term contract should be a priority this summer.

Josh Koroma – It’s been the football equivalent of the difficult second album that many bands struggle with. After being our star player in the 20/21 season, Koroma struggled to stay fit initially and then when he was there wasn’t really a natural place for him in any of the systems Carlos plays. He’s obviously got talent and many clubs will be willing to pay a fee for him, so the extension is an obvious choice but if we really believe in him we should, like Toffolo, try to tie him down for the next few years with a new deal.

Loanees sent back

Tino Anjorin – In retrospect, this seems like a funny move from Town. Did we take him on as an act of goodwill towards Chelsea? Was his injury not expected to take as long to recover from? Were we just getting him fit so we can bring him back again next season? It’s hard to know but we didn’t get to see anything but glimmers of what he is capable of. I’d not be disappointed if we got him on a year-long loan next season. 

Danel Sinani – I’ve seen it claimed that the option to buy Sinani at the end of his loan would have cost us £600,000 which is probably about right based on the season he’s had with us. He’s clearly got talent and can deliver superb balls with his left foot but too often he went missing in games and his lack of pace meant he didn’t always make the most of opportunities that fell to him. I expected us to buy him because he’s been a favourite of Corberan’s all season but hopefully we’ve turned down the opportunity because there are better players that we’ve identified (and not because we’re too tight to fork out for him).

Levi Colwill – It seems inconceivable that Colwill won’t be playing at a higher level next season. From the start of his loan, his first step into men’s football by the way, it was clear that he was too good for this level and has potential to go right to the top of the game. Had we been promoted there was potential that he might have signed on for another season but now it will be down to Chelsea whether they think he’s good enough to compete for a place with them, give him another loan or cash in by selling him to one of his many suitors. I’ll follow his career with interest and be grateful for the contribution he’s made.

Released

Jamal Blackman – He didn’t really get a proper chance but he provided experienced cover for Schofield’s injury and seemed like a nice guy. The fact he moved from LA to Huddersfield and didn’t grumble once about it speaks to his good character.

Reece Brown – What an odd signing Reece Brown turned out to be. He’s had chances under three different head coaches and failed to impress any of them. He’s spent far more time on loan at Peterborough than he has at Town – registering a solitary League Cup appearance for the Terriers compared to 65 for Peterborough. I don’t have any inside track on Brown’s time at Town but there must be a reason why the transfer went so badly wrong.  

Fraizer Campbell – I think Town would probably have gone down in Carlos’ first season in charge if it wasn’t for Campbell. He may not have been prolific but he worked so hard for the team and made opposition defenders’ lives difficult whenever he was on the pitch. Ward’s improved form and fitness alongside Jordan Rhodes’ arrival have limited his opportunities this season so it seems natural to allow him to move on or retire.

Carel Eiting – Town fans were delighted when he signed on deadline day in January but he has found his opportunities limited in his second spells. I suspect that a combination of Jon Russell doing so well and Eiting losing sharpness while he was in Belgium have meant he’s not quite the player he was during his first spell. I think there’s potential for him to go on to have a great career, given the quality he possesses. 

Naby Sarr – Probably the most surprising player to not get a new deal, as he has been excellent at times in the run into this most recent season. He’s had to sit on the sidelines when Levi Colwill has been available and there have been a few too many mistakes when he has played. I’ll still miss him though as he was a good character and always had a smile on his face.

Alex Vallejo – In an alternate universe, where Vallejo hasn’t been injured, I can imagine him being the heartbeat of Huddersfield Town’s midfield and being the first name on the team sheet. Sadly, his injuries scuppered his chances at Town and we never got the chance to see him at his best. 

What does the retained list tell us about Huddersfield Town’s transfer plans?

This is about as big a clear out of players that we could have expected, given that Koroma and Toffolo have resale value so it wouldn’t be logical to release them. Clearing the wage bill of fringe players paves the way for new additions and strengthening.

Leigh Bromby’s recent interview in The Examiner he said that the priority this window is to strengthen Town’s attacking options. No longer having Eiting, Campbell, Brown, Sinani and Anjorin in the squad means that alternative options could be brought in to fill the gaps.

I wasn’t expecting a very busy transfer window for Town given that the current squad has done a decent job this season and most are staying around. However, the squad looks pretty thin when the above names are taken out and it feels likely that we will have to do some business to avoid leaving gaps in key areas.