Tom Ince has signed for Huddersfield Town from Derby County for a rumoured fee of £8m initially, rising to £11 with add-ons. The signing of Ince adds creativity and goal-threat to the Terriers in their first season back in the top-flight.
Town put in a bid a few weeks ago for the 25-year-old winger but their initial offer was rejected. Then there were reports that we couldn’t agree personal terms with Ince anyway. It seemed like the deal was off but an improved offer from Town and presumably a compromise on wages has meant the deal has got over the line.
What can Town fans expect from Ince though? Read on to find out.
What kind of a player is he?
Tom Ince was going to be the next big thing when he burst onto the scene at Blackpool in his early career. His blistering pace and creativity made him a standout in an otherwise fairly poor Blackpool team.
While he perhaps hasn’t since lived up to the early predictions made about him, he’s developed into a great attacking talent and can both create and score goals – something Town are certain to need in their first outing in the Premier League.
He played most of the last season at Derby as a right-sided winger that liked to cut inside onto his dominant left foot. However, over the course of his career he’s played nearly as many games on the left-wing, so could be deployed on either flank.
His dribbling ability can tie defenders up in knots and he’s got an eye for an end-product. As usual, his YouTube highlight reel makes him look like the best player ever. While it’s only a snapshot, it’s hard to not be excited when you see the quality of the goals he’s scored.
Where has he played?
Ince started his career as a youth player for Liverpool but only made a solitary appearance for them as a 106th-minute-sub in a League Cup defeat to Northampton.
He then played a few games on loan at Notts County before his father, Paul Ince, got involved in his contract negotiations and the outcome was Tom leaving the club without being able to agree on a deal and signing a deal with Blackpool instead.
He made 100 appearances for Blackpool and scored 30 goals all at Championship level. During this period at Blackpool, it seems his good performances garnered a lot of attention from other clubs and there was constant speculation about him moving away. His father getting sacked as Blackpool manager was the catalyst for him moving on and joining Crystal Palace on loan.
After a fairly unremarkable loan spell at Palace he let his contract run down at Blackpool and left for Hull. Things never really got going for him at Hull, which Ince put down to Steve Bruce’s negative tactics. Out of favour at Hull, he was loaned out to Nottingham Forest initially and then later sent to Derby.
He scored plenty of goals in his loan spell at Derby and this was enough to make them break their transfer record to buy him, a fee of £4.75m. His time at Derby has seen him enjoy the most successful spell of his career, scoring 11, 12 and 14 goals in the three seasons he spent there.
Tom Ince stats
Ince has scored 75 goals in 264 career appearances so far, just short of a goal every third game which is a decent record when you consider he’s played nearly all his career on the wings. He’s also provided 50 assists, so he can provide as well as finish chances.
The fact he’s scored more than he’s assisted shows that he his first instinct is to go for goal, even though he’s not afraid of laying off to a teammate if they’re in a position to score.
Last season he notched up 15 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions, a good return in for a Derby team that underachieved given the high expectations of them. The fact he played so many games also shows that his fitness was good. He managed 47 games in 15/16 season and 37 the year before that, so it doesn’t seem like he’s the kind of player to miss many games.
Last year he averaged just under 3 shots a game, with half coming from outside the box. Being able to shoot from range may be a useful asset for those games where Town aren’t able to break down the opposition.
What do Derby fans think of him going?
Derby fans on the DCFC.co.uk forum seem sad to see Ince go but there’s a feeling among them that the reported fees seem about right and they can use the money to rebuild their squad.
While every fans forum has a wide variety of opinions there’s little anger about his departure despite the goals he’s provided them over the years.
Twitter user @jonloveridge83 summed up the mood among Derby fans in his tweet saying:
Good player, but it’s a good deal with us. All of in all, happy with this. Still gutted about Hughesy
Good player, but it's a good deal with us. All of in all, happy with this. Still gutted about Hughesy
— Lovers 🇺🇦 (@jonloveridge83) July 4, 2017
How will he fit in the team?
Last season Ince played the vast majority of his games as a right sided winger which would put him in direct competition with Elias Kachunga. This could give David Wagner a selection headache, as I think these two players are the best wingers in the club. He’ll have to decide whether to play one of them outside their preferred position, probably the left winger role, or leave one out of the starting 11.
Ince has played over a hundred games as a left winger in his career but as a natural left footer, in our system he’s better suited to the right side of midfield, so he can cut in on his stronger foot and open up the channel for overlapping runs from the fullback.
I’ve heard some fans speculate about whether he’d be suited to playing down the middle in the “number 10” role, but I suspect the middle of the park would be too congested and limit his ability to get one on one with defenders. He’s played that role a handful of times in his career but never on a regular basis.
So he’s likely to want to play on the right-hand side of the three attackers in David Wagner’s 4-2-3-1 formation but whether he gets his preferred position will depend on whether he can take the place away from Elias Kachunga.
Terrier Spirit opinion
Tom Ince is a player coming into his prime that’s been prolific in the Championship for years. We’ve paid a fairly high amount for a player that’s not yet proven in the Premier League but he’s got the potential to really kick on next year.
There are some questions about his temperament but most of these reports relate to things he said and did early on in his career. He may be a bit cocky on the pitch, but off the pitch he seems humble and I’m sure David Wagner wouldn’t have brought him in if he wasn’t prepared to buy into the work ethic required at Town these days.
It’s not certain that Ince will light up the league and he’s tried and failed to establish himself in the Premier League twice already. However, he’s a more mature player now than he was last time he played in the top flight and his ability to find the net could be vital for Town in the forthcoming season.