Joel Grainger, Writer.
Twitter: @joelgraingerr

Following Huddersfield Town’s relegation to League One, it’s vital that the playing squad is remoulded and strengthened to allow us to bounce straight back into the Championship. In this article, I plan a completely hypothetical, comprehensive rebuild of this Huddersfield Town squad.

If you are a follower of mine on Twitter, you will have noticed I have posted multiple threads suggesting players Town could sign this summer to solve some problems that we have in this squad. I thought I would take it one step further and come up with a comprehensive Huddersfield Town recruitment plan given there is simply nothing else better to do than speculate at this time of the year!

So without further ado, let’s crack on.

Outgoings

Before I begin talking about which players I would like to bring in, let’s take a look at which players I believe should leave the club, either permanently, or on loan this transfer window.

Let’s start with the players who I believe are surplus to requirements and should be moved on for a cut-price fee, simply to get them off the books. Kyle Hudlin and Tyreece Simpson both had pretty unsuccessful loan spells in League One, Simpson’s was slightly better than Hudlin’s but the bar is very low. They can both leave for me, we paid a fair chunk of money for Simpson but that ship has sailed now, we need to cut our losses with him. Scott High has had plenty of chances to prove himself both at Town and away from the club. He is yet to grasp one. I would look to part ways with him permanently this summer. The length of Kieran Phillips’ loan spell to Sacramento Republic was undisclosed, if it’s a season-long loan, he won’t even be back at Town until November. Regardless, I would look to move him on, he’s shown flashes of what he can do but any momentum has been hampered by injury. It’s very unfortunate but I think his Town career has run its course.

Now let’s talk about the more significant first-team departures. This is always difficult to do and I may end up being caught off-guard by a few surprise moves. However, as I’ve previously stated, I think Sorba Thomas, Jack Rudoni and Michal Helik will all leave the club following relegation. They should be sold, hopefully we recieve some substantial transfer fees for them. I also have Jaheim Headley to be sold. It’s widely believed he is one of the bad apples Breitenreiter was referring to, if so, he should be one of the first out the door. There is potential that clubs take interest in players such as Lee Nicholls, David Kasumu and Brodie Spencer but I have not accounted for that in this recruitment plan. In my perfect hypothetical world, they will all be at the club next season.

Last of all, loan departures. Making a decision on Kian Harratt was difficult for me, he is a talented player and could possibly offer us something this season. However, I just can’t look past his off-field misdemeanors, I would loan him out to a lower-end League One team with the possibility of recalling him if we think he has something to offer in the second half of the season. He is on his final warning.

Tom Iorpenda needs first-team experience to best aide his development, a League Two or National League loan should allow him to gain some good first-team experience and build up some needed robustness. Similarly, Loick Ayina lacks EFL minutes. I would loan him out as well. Finally, this may be controversial but I would loan out Pat Jones. After finally recovering from his long-term hamstring issues, he needs to be playing regular football to develop. As we saw with Brodie Spencer, a good loan could really mature him into a fine player.

What do we need to recruit?

The image below depicts how these departures would leave the squad looking. It’s very bare. So, what do we need to recruit?

Having taken into account the more significant outgoings and the profiles we were already lacking, I have concluded that we need 7 first-team additions this summer. These need to be the following types of profile:

A ball-playing central defender who is comfortable of defending and playing in wider areas. Accomplished at progressing the ball out of defence in a variety of ways. They are preferably they are left-footed.

A right wingback who can maraud up and down the flank, scoring goals and creating chances. Need to be capable of playing high up the pitch and providing the width to our attacks. Need to have good positional awareness in both offensive and defensive scenarios.

A left wingback with a very similar skillset. Both wingbacks need their own redeeming unique qualities however so we are not too one-dimensional, particularly in. Wingbacks are key positions in Duff’s system.

A defensive midfielder who is effective at breaking up play and winning the ball but most importantly has a top-tier passing range. They need to be able to help us retain the ball and create chances from deep with quarterback-like distribution. This player needs to be comfortable at receiving and distributing the ball when under opposition pressure.

A hybrid defensive/central midfielder who can play either as the defensive midfielder or further forward as a more central midfielder. They need to be a jack of all trades with specifically good passing and ball-winning ability. Needs to be able to cover lots of distance if selected in a box-to-box role.

A more attack-minded central midfielder who is able to contribute plentifully in the final third, scoring goals and providing assists. They need to be a technically sound player who picks up clever pockets of space and can produce match-winning moments of quality.

A striker who can provide quality competition and depth alongside Healey, Radulovic and Ward. A pacey player who is going to be a threat in behind. Player also needs to have good pressing instincts to allow them to effectively lead a press.

For this recruitment plan, I’ve selected 7 players who fit the requirements when looking at these profiles. Let’s see at who I’ve opted for.

Incomings

Lewis Brunt - Leicester City - Left-sided centre-back

Brunt spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Mansfield Town and he played a big part in them securing promotion. He only has 1 year left on his Leicester contract and with him now being 23-years-old, the Foxes may wish to cash in on him. It may take a fairly substantial transfer fee to beat off competition but he would be worth every penny.

Brunt is a left-footed central defender who excels at progressing the ball out of defence. He averages 39.7 successful passes per game and has a 51.2% long ball accuracy which ranks him amongst the top 10% of centre-backs in this metric. Defensively, he can more than hold his own at League One level, he ranks above average in his aerial duels success and block’s per 90. Given his age, Brunt is still developing and maturing as a player, he is far from the peak of his powers. In my opinion, Brunt would be the perfect signing to fill that LCB void left by the departing Yuta Nakayama. His ball-playing abilities would add a whole new dimension to our defence.

Lasse Sorensen - Lincoln City - Right wingback

Lincoln’s Director of Football has openly stated that Sorensen could realistically be sold this summer as he only has 1 year remaining on his current deal. One intriguing thing to note, is that Sorensen is managed by Beswick Sports, the same agency that manages Michael Duff. Cartwright used to work for them and we have recent history of doing deals with their clients, namely Tom Edwards and Duff.

On the pitch, Sorensen provided 4 goals and 8 assists for the Imps last year. Sorensen has stamina for days and combined with his attacking output, this makes him an in-demand player. Sorensen is only 24 so is probably getting towards his peak for the type of player he is. He loves to get really high up the pitch and often uses his pace to get in behind his fullback to either meet a cross or provide one for his teammate. He also has the ability to create chances by crossing from deeper areas, he has assisted this way a few times this season. This honestly feels like a perfect signing for us, Sorensen completely fits the profile of player we need at right wingback. It helps that he is available for a transfer as well.

Owen Beck - Liverpool - Left Wingback

Beck enjoyed a superb loan spell at Dundee last season and would be my first choice to fill the void at left wingback. He is a creative machine with a wand of a left foot. He ranks in the top 4% for chances created. Beck is one of the most exciting creative wingbacks around.

He can attack in multiple ways, Beck loves to get on the ball and dribble, he either drives in-field to create from central areas, or beats his man and delivers a cross from wide. Defensively, he is brave and aggressive in the tackle, similar to Brodie Spencer. His 1v1 defending is also a strong suit, he uses his athleticism to his advantage. Beck can also take a quality set piece, a good set piece taker will be required when Sorba Thomas leaves the club. All these attributes have naturally drawn comparisons between him and Andy Robertson. If Beck is available for a loan this summer, he would be a great option.

Jacob Wright - Manchester City - Defensive Midfielder

This would be another quality loan deal. Wright has been one of the shining stars of City’s Elite Development Squad this season. As you would expect given his Man City upbringing, his in-possession attributes are simply wonderful. He oozes class and is so composed on the ball sitting at the base of the midfield. The 18-year-old reminds me Aaron Mooy the way he can dictate the tempo of the game all by himself.

He would slot in perfectly as the defensive midfielder in Michael Duff’s system. He has the ability to help us progress our attacks up the pitch and help retain possession. He is also strong at breaking up play and should be able to hold his own physically in League One. Ironically, his senior debut actually came against Town, coming off the bench in our FA Cup drubbing at the Etihad last season. Wright has the passing range create a chance from nowhere with an incisive pass. Players like him are an extremely valuable asset to any squad. The 18-year-old would be a great addition to our squad and is a profile of player we have been missing for years.

Idris El Mizouni - Ipswich Town - Central/Defensive Midfielder

At the time of writing, Ipswich are yet to release their retained list so El Mizouni’s transfer status is yet to be confirmed. However, I expect he will not be offered a contract following the Tractor Boys promotion to the Premier League and he will become available on a free transfer. El Mizouni has spent the last 2 years on loan at Leyton Orient racking up 89 appearances and even captaining them on occasion. He is adored in South London.

The Tunisian international excels at ball-winning, he ranks highly compared to other midfielders when it comes to tackles won, interceptions and recoveries. He combines his ball-winning abilities with quality in possession attributes. He ranks in the top 5% for pass accuracy and in the top 9% for completed passes per 90. For me, in Michael Duff’s system, El Mizouni would play as one of the central midfielders alongside a more attack-minded midfielder. However, he could also provide another option for the defensive midfield position. He is still relatively young at just 23 years old, so he still has room to develop and mature. He would be an exemplary signing for any League One club this summer.

Herbie Kane - Free Agent - Central Midfielder

This is a transfer which makes so much sense. Kane will be a free agent this summer and can provide exactly what we need in an attack-minded midfielder. Kane played some of his best football under Michael Duff at Barnsley, he would surely jump at the chance to work with him again.

The 25-year-old provided 10 goals and 5 assists last season for Barnsley, he also provided 3 goals and 7 assists the year before. Alongside his attacking output, Kane also enjoys getting involved in the build up play, often dropping deep to help progress the ball forward. He ranks in the top 9% for touches per 90. Defensively, he is good at backing up the strikers press, ranking in the top 12% for possession won in the final third when compared to other midfielders. This is a key attribute for a midfield player in Michael Duff’s system. Kane would be the perfect final element of an overhauled Town midfield. Available for free, this seems like a very sensible move for all involved.

Callum Marshall - West Ham - Striker

Marshall is one of the most exciting players coming through at West Ham. Even though he spent the second half of the season on loan at West Brom, he still finished 2nd in the PL2 scoring charts. His loan to West Brom was extremely underwhelming, Carlos Corberan felt he wasn’t ready for Championship football and only gave the youngster 55 league minutes. However, in the PL2 the youngster has been on fire, scoring 18 goals in 14 games.

The Northern Irishman uses his pace very well to play on the shoulder and get in behind defenders. He is a ruthless finisher when he get’s in front of goal. His understanding of pressing triggers is also very advanced which is vital when leading the line. A League One loan could do wonders for Marshall as he looks to gain more first-team experience. He would provide very strong competition for our current set of strikers and could get plenty of opportunities to prove himself in a notoriously difficult league.

How does that leave our squad?

The 7 signings I have opted for would significantly improve not just our squad, but our starting XI. The image below visualises this transfer plan and shows how I would line up with this new crop of players.

These transfers would leave us with an 18-man registered squad. You do not need to register u21 players or goalkeepers in League One. This gives us plenty of room (4 spaces to be precise) to strengthen the squad further if necessary in January.

To conclude, I believe that a squad of this calibre should be able to win the League One title. Players such as Jacob Wright and Lewis Brunt would add a completely new dynamic to this side. We are expected to be one of the top dogs in this league, so we need to act like it. These signings have a great combination of youthful exuberance alongside plenty of EFL experience. Michael Duff’s style is a very intense one and there is a lot of football on the horizon during the 2024/25 season, every player will have to play a significant part, even the ones I’ve got marked down as 2nd/3rd choice.

If you’ve got this far, I thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this article.

UTT!

Huddersfield Town - The Summer Rebuild

Outgoings

What do we need to recruit?

Incomings

How does that leave our squad?

And He Takes That Chance

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