Town have cleared the decks this week by letting go of their out-of-contract players and sending back loanees to their parent clubs. This means the squad is now a bit on the thin side, even when you add in the players returning from loans that might add something to the first team.
In this article I’m going to look at the various areas of the pitch and try to identify where Town are light and where they have enough players. Here we go…
Goalkeepers
- Lee Nicholls
- Ryan Schofield
- Youth options: Bilokopic / Chapman / Bellagambi
At the start of the season just gone, I had my doubts about this area of the pitch, with Schofield wobbily and Nicholls unproven at Championship level. After one of the best seasons of any Town goalkeeper in my memory, Lee Nicholls has done enough to earn the number one jersey.
On the other hand, Ryan Schofield is not ideal as backup to Nicholls as he’s at a stage in his career where he needs to play regular football to build his confidence back up. His previously promising career has stalled lately and as many Town fans have lost faith in him, I think a season away on loan would be best for everyone.
There are quite a few youngsters in the academy that have sat on the bench in the past but I don’t think any of them are ready for Championship level football and will also be likely to head out on loan or play in the B Team.
With this in mind, an experienced backup keeper is something we should be looking for. Jamal Blackman seemed like the right kind of player but it’s possible the club may have other options that appeal more or fit the wage bill better.
Right back / wingback
- Pipa
- Oli Turton
- Aaron Rowe
Despite an excellent piece from HTAFC Statto highlighting various options for Town at right back, I think we’re fine in this area of the pitch. Pipa has had a difficult second season at Town, marred by injury in the first half and struggling to find form in the second. With a full preseason under his belt I think we’ll see him return to his best.
If not, Oli Turton has proven himself to be a reliable option on the right side of the pitch. While he’s not as exciting a prospect, he will do his bit when going forward and is good at keeping things tight defensively.
There’s a third option in Aaron Rowe, who has played as a right wingback in the past. He’s maybe not the best defensively but his explosive pace can help him to recover when he’s out of position and he’s a threat going forward.
Add Sorba Thomas as a makeshift right wingback and then there’s academy player Brodie Spencer as a player showing lots of potential (he’s already been called up to the Northern Irish senior squad) and there feels to be a wealth of options in this area of the pitch.
Central defence
- Tom Lees
- Matty Pearson
- Rarmani Edmonds-Green
- Romoney Crichlow
There’s been a lot of movement in central defence this summer, with Levi Colwill and Naby Sarr both leaving the club and Edmonds-Green and Crichlow coming back from loan.
Pearson and Lees have done an excellent job so far in their time at Town and both will push to be first choice. However, Edmonds-Green has earned rave reviews from Rotherham and will no doubt come back expecting regular minutes on the pitch.
Romoney Crichlow did OK in his loan spell at Swindon in League Two but the decision to move him to League One’s Plymouth in January backfired, as he didn’t make much of an impact there, only managing three appearances. Maybe it was part of the plan to give him a bit of adversity to face but it doesn’t suggest he’s ready for regular football in the Championship and another League One loan would be a better next step for him.
It’s a shame Crichlow doesn’t appear ready as he’s the only one in the group that is left footed and Carlos prefers to have his left-sided central defender to be a natural left footer. That means that Town should be in the market for a decent central defender that is comfortable on his left foot. If we hadn’t just released him, Naby Sarr would be a good candidate but hopefully the recruitment team have lined up someone who can improve us in this area.
Left back / wingback
- Harry Toffolo
- Josh Ruffels
- Ben Jackson
If anything, we’re a bit too strong at left back as Josh Ruffels hasn’t played as much as he probably expected to when he signed. The club have taken the extra year on Toffolo’s contract but his future at Town won’t feel settled until he signs a long-term contract.
Toffolo struggled at times last season but still ended up with better goals and assist stats than any other Championship fullback I can think of. Ruffels looks better than mere backup and I would be happy to see him play more in the upcoming season.
Ben Jackson has been out on loan a few times to gain experience and is probably now close to getting into our first team. He’s not ready to be a regular starter but could provide backup if needed.
We’ve got plenty of options in this area of the pitch if Toffolo stays. If he is sold this summer then Ruffels could be bumped up to first choice and Jackson the backup but that feels like it might be a risk as neither have extensive Championship experience. So I hope we have a few options up our sleeve if Toffolo doesn’tsign an extended deal.
Defensive midfield
- Jonathan Hogg
- Jonathan Russell
I’ve separated out defensive midfield from central midfield as they are two distinct roles in Carlos’ system, one referred to as a number six, that sits in front of defence, and the other a number eight that is expected to run box to box.
Jon Russell and Jonathan Hogg can both play this deeper midfield role but they bring different qualities to it. Hogg can organise those around him, put in crunching tackles and keep things tight. Russell is more of a ball player, uses his exceptional physical strength to shield the ball and buys himself time on the ball with clever (too clever?) footwork.
I think Russell’s emergence means we’re pretty much fine in this part of the pitch. Hogg is obviously getting on a bit, so won’t be able to play every game, particularly given his long standing hip issue. Russell is still young and his impressive start could tail off at some stage. So another option in this role could be beneficial, particularly as Scott High looked pretty poor when he was asked to step in to cover Hogg’s injury around January time this year.
Central midfield
- Lewis O’Brien
- Scott High
- Matty Daly
This is the area of the pitch that really concerns me at the moment. Even without O’Brien leaving, we’re lacking quality and if he leaves we’re really stuck for options. And, let’s face it, he probably is going to leave.
Jonathan Russell can play as a more advanced midfielder but his lack of mobility means we lose dynamism in our attacks. I’d rather he be kept for defensive midfield and new blood be brought into the middle of the pitch.
Central midfield is probably the hardest role to play in Carlos Carberan’s system. You have to be willing to run your socks off, get through loads of defensive work and still get forward and support the forwards. O’Brien has been excellent but without him we need a couple of players that can share the workload he has been getting through.
Scott High and Matty Daly could both have breakthrough seasons but it’s a lot to expect from youngsters. I think we need two high-quality signings in this part of the field. Maybe one could be a Premier League loanee and the other could be an experienced Championship campaigner. Getting the right player won’t be cheap but going for a bargain bin option will be a huge gamble. If we’re going to spend Amy money this summer, I hope it’s in this area.
Wingers / inside forwards
- Sorba Thomas
- Duane Holmes
- Josh Koroma
- Rolando Aarons
- Danny Grant
I was quite surprised when I started listing the options we have in this part of the pitch. I was convinced we were short of options out wide and there wasn’t really a partner for Sorba on the other wing. The truth is that there are plenty of players on the books that could play as the other wide man but there are issues with all of them.
Duane Holmes has played more as a winger than anything else this season we’ve just finished but he’s more naturally an attacking midfielder and tends to drift inside. Koroma has shown he can do it in the past but he struggled to fit in with any of the tactical systems we used last season and his confidence looked shot on the occasions he played.
Aarons and Grant have been unlucky with injuries and could, in theory, make big contributions next season if they can stay out of the treatment room. In reality, I wouldn’t want to bank on them being able to get into shape and become regular first team contributors. In fact, both may be better going out on loan, proving their fitness and ability at a lower level with a view to coming back in January and making an impact.
So a decent winger would be handy but the squad is a bit bloated in this area, so clearing out a few players may be required first before we can add someone new. Otherwise we’ll just be stockpiling failing wingers.
Strikers
- Danny Ward
- Jordan Rhodes
It was very rare for both Rhodes and Ward to play together last season, so having two strikers isn’t such a problem when we only use them one at a time. My issue in this area of the pitch is variety. Rhodes and Ward are OK but we could do with a different kind of striker – one with pace.
Frazier Campbell’s exit and Kian Harratt’s loan means that Keiran Phillips is the only remaining alternative up front and he seems a bit too inexperienced at the moment. A Premier League loanee or a youngster from the lower leagues may be a decent idea to give us something a bit different up front. Ward will remain first choice, Rhodes is good for backup nut we need an option that allows us to play a different way.
What should Huddersfield Town’s shopping list be?
Based on my wittering so far, here’s what Town most need out of the upcoming transfer window. Here’s my shopping list in priority order:
- A box-to-box midfielder (or two if O’Brien leaves)
- A fast striker
- A left-footed central defender
- A backup keeper
- A first-team quality winger
- Like for like replacements if any more players leave
Hard to disagree, TS. (There’s a few players you’ve named I hope are transferred out or sent on very long-term loan but I won’t go there.)
I ask myself, what would your article read like had Town won at Wembley? I’m not sure you’d have been making much of a case for any of the current squad apart from O’Brien who might then have stayed. It just makes it all the more incredible that Town came within touching distance of the top flight.
I do agree that central midfield is going to be top priority. Can I plead that whoever we sign in this area of the pitch that he has 2 basic skills? Passing – at times last season, our ability to play a simple pass to retain the ball was woeful (and I include O’Brien as a sinner). And shooting – I’m sure you’ll have a stat, but I’m struggling to remember goals (or even very near misses) scored by midfielders from on or around the edge of the box. It seems to me that other teams were much more of a potent force. Again, I think O’Brien is a class player on the ball but his long range shooting is poor. I think back to the 60s and the days of Jimmy Nicholson and the crowd would hold its breath when he was on the ball with a shooting chance inside 30 yards. Town seem to have forgotten the value of a long range shot. Ricochets, parried shots, all can easily result in goals. I’d love to know just how many goals Town scored last season as a direct result from a shot from 20yds or more. A decent shot should be a prerequisite for an attacking midfielder.
Anyway, doubtless the Town backroom is taking full note of everything we say!
Long range shooting has been a problem for years. Danny Ward in his first incarnation had good shooting ability, as had both Aaroy Mooy and Phillip Billing, but none of them used it regularly enough.
“Anyway, doubtless the Town backroom is taking full note of everything we say!” I presume this was a bit of sarcasm!
I think 2 players worth a look are Barry Bannan and Jonson Clarke Harris. Both have championship experience the latter who manage 12 goals in a injury ravaged championship campaign last season. I would also have a look at Lawrence and Wallace, whom I believe both are out of contract. And then I also think Timo will return, no doubt using the Chelsea link as well
The list would have been much larger if we had been promoted. All the 30+ players would probably struggle in the Premier League as would the up and coming youngsters. As it is, it really has worked out well all round. The team can essentially stay together, the older players can more or less play out their time at Town and we can expect to win some matches. Without a billionaire owners support we probably would have been languishing in the relegation zone, suffering constant hammerings by the top teams and being totally depressed as before.
Agree but we need to kick on and stay in the mix, invest for the future but not break the bank.
A pacey striker and a dynamic and energetic midfielder are must haves for next season. Leigh Bromby has already said as much, he wants to focus on more attack minded players in the summer window, Leigh and the team did a great job bringing in some outstanding defensive options last season. I hope REG is ready to replace Colwill, it’s a massive ask, whilst he might not be the Rolls Royce Colwill is, he looks a very good talent. If/when O’Brien goes he leaves a huge hole in the team, but what we lose in energy, tenacity and running with the ball, hopefully we can find a replacement who has that killer pass and can chip in with some goals. Unlike last summer, we can at least feel positive about the upcoming season.
We clearly need additions in midfield, even if O’Brien would stay (which nobody expects, except maybe Toffolo? 🙂
And not only in attacking midfield: with Vallejo gone, Hogg clearly on a downwards trajectory, and Russel not yet reliable enough, there’s a gap in the defensive midfield to be filled as well.
A backup keeper must also be a priority. If Schofield can get a loan out in League One or Two, that would probably be ideal for him (but are there clubs in those leagues willing to gamble on taking him in? he’s clearly a top-notch shot-stopper, but also clearly lacks quality in the air/commanding the penalty area and directing his defence). The club then still has plenty of young GK talents (at least the 3 TS mentioned plus Roxburgh), but lacks a senior option. I’m not surprised Blackman left though: I don’t believe it was because Town didn’t want to keep him or have another option lined up, but rather that he himself would be seeking a place where he can get to play more often.
Apart from that, there are very obvious gaps up front: the list of wingers is long enough, but in reality only Thomas and Koroma are candidate starters, with Holmes a decent backup (anywhere!). There can be hope for D.Grant and Aarons (and maybe Rowe and even a few B team players, like P.Jones), but there’s nobody that at present can be deemed ready to start (I have my fingers crossed for Grant doing a Sorba next season though!).
Even more pressing is the striker side. Ward was excellent at times this season and Rhodes clearly still has goals in him, but there’s an opening for a big target man (a Mounie!) as well as for someone who could pair up with the others (a Novak!) and for a “hungry” youngster (a 2009 Jordan Rhodes!). I would expect Phillips to go out on a League Two loan again, just like Harratt, so one or two box players should obviously be on the shopping list (or loan list).
Town Finnish third and wasn’t that far from automatic promotion, loan players have to return to their clubs but if we can retain O’Brien and I know is a big if we could be in the playoffs again next season l would like to see a midfielder whom can put the fear into opposing defence when ever shooting chance exits..That we never had we almost tried to walk the ball into the net most of the time.
I agree with Town coach CC VAR may as well not have been there in the final
As seems to be the way at Town nowadays with former players, why not resign Alex Smithies who has been released by Cardiff and who wants to return North. 32 isn’t too old for a goalkeeper and he would be an excellent backup to Nicholls.