Town’s need of a backup right-back was the worst kept secret in football this summer. We’ve had failed bids, failed trials and failed medicals. Finally Town have secured a right-back to compete with Tommy Smith. Better still, he looks like a good one. Welcome to Town Florent Hadergonea… Hadagoodgo… Haduken… Hader…
Welcome Flo!
Seriously though, his name is Florent Hadergjonaj. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but I’m sure we’ll get used to it pretty quickly. Particularly if this young right-back is as good as he looks.
How to pronounce Hadergjonaj
Who is Florent Hadergjonaj
He’s an attacking right-back that Town have signed on loan from Ingolstadt with an option to buy him at the end of the season. A similar deal to the one we struck with them for Elias Kachunga. And that worked out pretty well for Town.
He’s 23-years old (despite looking about 12), has one cap for Switzerland which he earned earlier this year and will provide stiff competition for Tommy Smith this season.
He made his name at Young Boys of Berne in his homeland and moved to Ingolstadt last summer for a fee of around £1.8m according to stats website Transfermarkt. He played 25 games in the Bundesliga last season and in that time did enough good things to fill nearly two minutes of a YouTube highlights video.
As usual, the clip makes him look like a world-beater. We’ll find out if that’s true or not, but he certainly looks like a decent player.
Interview
As usual, Town’s have signed a foreign player that speaks better English than 90% of the people you’d meet shuffling around the Kingsgate Centre on a Saturday afternoon. He seems polite, articulate and a thoroughly nice young man.
My impression is that he’ll be willing to buy into David Wagner’s philosophy and put in the work required to play in our system. Maybe that’s a leap, from just watching a short interview, but I’m impressed.
Modern British footballers often have an attitude about them, but the players Town sign seem more humble and less up their own arses. I think David Wagner is a good judge of character. That’s not just the foreign players either, all of Town’s squad seem like nice people. Maybe that’s the secret of our success.
What should we call him?
It’s not that tricky to say his full surname. As far as I can tell, it’s pronounced: HAD-ER-JUN-EYE. However, it may be easier to give him a nickname. Here are a few suggestions:
- Flo
- Hadders
- Monty Burns
- Flo Ho (thanks to Twitter user @Jonathan1922 for this suggetsion)
- The Swiss Army Knife (would work better if he was versatile, but he’s played nearly every game at right-back)
Actually, on second thought, I’ll leave the nicknames to other fans to work out.
CONFIRMED: #htafc has signed 23 year-old right back Florent Hadergjonaj from @Schanzer_EN on a season-long loan https://t.co/1U4eXy3JhE (AT) pic.twitter.com/P71lvavfLO
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) August 24, 2017
Terrier Spirit opinion on Hadergjonaj signing
Right-back has been an obvious problem position to fill this summer. After numerous failed attempts, I think we’ve finally got the right person in. Cavaré or Yiadom might have done a job for us in the future but injuries and inexperience would have meant both had to be given time.
Flo has had a season in the German top-flight already and looks ready to play in the Premier League. Like most modern fullbacks, he’s probably more effective at attacking than he is defending. He’s young enough to still be learning though, and I’m sure David Wagner will get him drilled on our system and he’ll soon be giving Tommy Smith stiff competition for the right-back slot.
I can’t pronounce it for the life in me but, as you pointed out, with practise we will get better with the pronunciation.
I’m excited to see this lad in action – he has his plaudits and will push Smith for the right back berth as competition was absent in that position and Cranie is not really the best competition.
This won’t be the last activity in the window, however much Wagner says “no more signings”. A manager denys it all the time all the time because speculation increases on incomings and outgoings as we get closer to the window deadline.
Accidentally said “all the time twice”. Apologies.
Accidentally said “all the time” twice. Apologies.