“Get him fit and firing, he will be a mainstay of the side”: Duane Holmes’ Homecoming
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: HTAFC
Former Town academy player Duane Holmes returns to Huddersfield after four years away, but what’s changed? We catch up with fans from his former club to find out more.
With five losses in their last six league games and with Carel Eiting out for the season, Huddersfield have brought back one of their own to help revitalise their creative spark and get wins on the board. Duane Holmes has rejoined the club after four years away, and the 26-year-old is ready to make an impact back at the side he used to call home.
Holmes, who joined from Derby County, had been with The Terriers since the under-nine level but left after just 26 first team appearances to join Scunthorpe United in 2016. Since then, he’s featured in several playoff pushes at Scunthorpe and Derby and now arrives back at the John Smith’s Stadium as a senior player with plenty of Championship experience. That experience will be needed as injuries and inexperienced youngsters could potentially derail what has been a fairly promising season so far.
Having signed a contract until the summer of 2024, with the option for a year’s extension, Huddersfield will hope that the twice-capped United States international can help manager Carlos Corberán push on to the next level.
With his return now finalised, we look at what the club and player have said and caught up with Derby fan podcast, Rams Review to find out how Holmes has been performing and what type of player we can expect.
Manager Carlos Corberán said: “It was very important to add one more player to the squad and a midfielder… Duane Holmes gives us more options in the middle.” Photo source: HTAFC
What the club said
In what has been a surprisingly busy transfer window for Huddersfield Town, Holmes’ becomes the fifth signing in January and the club seem delighted to have a player that can play in multiple positions. In the announcement on the club’s website, manager Carlos Corberán said:
“Duane’s versatility is very important for us; he can play as a midfield eight, a 10 or on either wing. He has enough quality and understanding of football to have an immediate impact in Championship games, plus his knowledge of this club and experience of the division will help his adaptation.
“We aim to receive the best from him in his second period at Huddersfield Town, and seeing his Terrier Spirit on the pitch.”
Like with the Keogh signing, Leigh Bromby’s comments seemed to address any potential doubt about bringing a former player back to the club. He said:
“Our fans know Duane’s game well, but equally I think he has grown as a footballer in his time away from Huddersfield Town. He adds more Championship knowhow to our squad, but he’s still only 26 and I believe the best is yet to come.
“His attributes – energy, determination, speed and an eye for goal – will complement our style of play, and we know all about his personality too. He knows this club so well, and he was extremely keen to return and show everyone what he’s capable of.”
Four years is a long time in football and since leaving Huddersfield, Holmes has played regularly and developed his game and at 26, is entering the supposed prime of your footballing career. While it’s great to have promising youngsters in and around the side, Town could use a bit of Championship experience peppered through the squad to help and on paper, Holmes fits the bill.
In an interview with the club, Holmes said: “I grew up here and I still feel like I’ve got so much to give to this football club. I’m happy that I’ve got the chance to do it. I’m really looking forward to working with the Head Coach.” Photo source: HTAFC
What the player said
Duane seems to be pleased to have rejoined the team where he spent his youth, and being a local lad jumped at the opportunity to come back. Speaking in his first interview on Huddersfield’s official YouTube channel. He said:
“A couple of months ago Derby played Huddersfield Town in a behind-closed-doors game and I didn’t have to play, but I wanted to play because I wanted to come here and kind of drop it into Brombs (Leigh Bromby) that I wanted to come back! So, I played in that game and I spoke to Leigh and since then we’ve been working to try and get it done.
“I think I’ve matured a lot, both as a footballer and as a person. Hopefully I’ve not changed too much, I still want to be an exciting player to watch and stuff like that! I want to bring goals to the team, and I want to help the team out in any way I can. I know I’ll give everything for the shirt.”
Players always express their delight when joining a new club, but being from the local area, it does feel like Duane was genuinely keen to return. His comments about speaking to Jonathan Hogg during the process were interesting too.
“I’ve spoken to Hoggy and he couldn’t speak highly enough of the Head Coach; that’s something that I really want to get behind. With every footballer, everyone wants to get better. Hearing from Hoggy, who’s such a great leader, being part of the Club’s promotion to the Premier League, obviously if it’s improving him then it can improve me. Hopefully, it can bring the best out of me.”
As much as this can be a feelgood story, a local lad returns to the club, in his words, ‘he owes his career to’, Holmes can also offer more creativity, which has been sorely lacking on the pitch recently.
Holmes came through Town’s Academy and made 26 first team appearances before departing to join Scunthorpe United in 2016. Photo source: HTAFC
What fans have said
Having made 83 appearances in his time at Derby County in the last three years, we wanted to get a further understanding of The Terriers’ latest recruit. So, we spoke to Jason Straw and Cory Hancock, hosts of the Rams Review Podcast, to learn more about Duane’s stint at the side.
Derby County
What type of player are Huddersfield getting in Duane Holmes and what do you make of the move?
Jason Straw: An all-round nice guy on and off the field, his body language has been questioned by some fans and can find it difficult to get into games sometimes. Duane, at his best consistently, would be a useful member of the squad. I personally like Holmes and would have kept him around, but he is on the fringes of things at Derby and a move is probably the best outcome for both parties.
Cory Hancock: On the field, Huddersfield will be getting a quick attacking player, who can drive forward and link play between the lines. Consistency remains an issue but on his day he’s a solid Championship performer. The move is a strange one as he has played quite a bit this season and with Derby desperately short on numbers his departure will lead to an even weaker squad. He was in the last year of his contract and contract talks had stalled, that coupled with Rooney’s post-Rotherham comments about him and the fact he has not been involved recently, it does not come as a surprise. Off the field, he comes across as a nice person. He has done several awesome things for fans (included an Instagram live with a Derby fan who was struggling with his mental health). He’s active on Twitch and enjoys interacting with fans on that platform.
How would you describe his playing style?
JS: He is an attacking force who likes to link up the play and has a turn of pace and a trick in him. On form, he can be the one who unlocks defences, at Derby on the right side he also did well with tracking back and defensive duties. He also has a keen eye for a pass and does have goals in him, although we have not seen enough of that from him.
CH: He’s a quick attacking player that links the midfield and attack, and has a trick or two up his sleeve and has good balance. He also is not scared of a tackle for someone of his stature and will always give 100% on the pitch. He gets in good attacking positions, but his lack of goals is a concern.
What have been his highlights at Derby?
JS: Under Lampard, he was a regular member of the squad and put in some very promising performances. Again, last season around November to January he was in fine form. Unfortunately, on both occasions niggling injuries hampered him and since then we have not seen much of him at all.
CH: He was solid under Frank Lampard and showed a lot of promise. He got injured on international duty and that seemed to put him back at the start of last season. When he returned to the team, he looked lively and scored a couple of goals, but then injuries (including a broken leg) set in and he could not get a consistent run in the side. When he did play, he was often dispatched on the right side of midfield, which while he performed admirably, he’s much better in central midfield.
How would you sum up his time at Derby?
JS: Duane has shown in flashes, his quality. His Derby career has been plagued with various injuries, so he has struggled for a real run in the team. He has blown very hot & cold in a Derby shirt; on his day he can be a great asset in this league if he can find that form and consistency, he will be a success. We also rarely played him in his natural position in the middle and was used out on the right, I think his natural position does suit him more, but he struggled to get in the side in that position.
CH: Inconsistent. Holmes is a fantastic player on his day, but inconsistency and injuries have hampered his progress. He has quality but he’s never had a consistent week in, and week out run in the team to show the quality that he has.
Holmes was unhappy about being played out of position at Derby. The Rams tried to enter contract talks with him, but an alleged fallout with Wayne Rooney, combined with his contract expiring in the summer, meant that Huddersfield could capitalise. Photo source: Goal
From the fan reaction to his departure, it looks like he was well thought of. Can you tell us more about his relationship with the fans?
JS: That was a big plus point of him, very active on social media interacting with fans, he did sometimes have negative comments towards him which in the public eye wasn't ideal and he aired his views a lot.
CH: Duane has a good relationship with fans. He’s done a lot for and with the fans which is great to see. Some sections of the fan base have been on his back due to his Twitch streaming which is never nice to see but I think they are a minority. He’s done a lot of interactions with fans over his time and it’s been great to see.
Do you think he can make an immediate impact with Huddersfield?
JS: A change of scenery could be just what he needed and going back to familiar surroundings could help even more. He is coming back from an injury as far as I know so may take a little time to be available.
CH: If he is given a consistent run in the team and plays in the centre, I can see him making an impact. I think a change of scenery would be the best thing for him.
Based on what you’ve seen of him at Derby, how much potential does he have for the rest of his career?
JS: In the right surroundings I think he can be a big player; his injuries are a bit of a worry if I’m honest, but I think we have seen enough to say he can do it at this level. Consistency is key with Duane, get him fit and firing he will be a mainstay of the side.
CH: If Holmes can become more consistent, less injury prone and find a finishing touch then he has lower Premier League quality about him.
Is there anything we should know about Duane Holmes that we don’t already since he left Huddersfield?
CH: Duane made his international debut for the USA in the summer of 2019. He put in two great performances and was on the radar for a while but injuries and inconsistency has seen him fall away from the international scene. It’s a big six months for him as the USA play in the Gold Cup (the CONACAF regional tournament) in summer, if he plays well you might seem back in a USA jersey, which would be awesome for him.
Anything else you want to add?
CH: Take care of Duane. There is a player in there and I hope you guys can get the best out of him!
Holmes has been capped twice for the United States. Photo source: Goal
Summary
When Danny Ward rejoined the club in the summer, some fans questioned resigning a former player and unfortunately for Danny, injuries have not been kind to him since he’s come back. With Holmes, this feels different. With Eiting out for the season, Hogg’s ongoing hip injury, Bacuna’s inconsistency and an out-of-form Lewis O’Brien, Huddersfield’s midfield is arguably the weakest point of the squad currently. The return of Holmes adds competition and creativity to the side and, in an emerging pattern in Huddersfield’s recent recruitment, he’s another player with a point to prove.
Niggling injuries have affected Holmes time at Derby, but when he was a key player under Frank Lampard, he proved that he was a good player at Championship level and with three managers in three years at The Rams, sometimes moving to a club with more stability can help bring the best out of a player.
In the drawn-out process for this transfer, the understanding was that Holmes was unhappy about being played out of position at Derby. The Rams tried to enter contract talks with him, but an alleged fallout with Wayne Rooney, combined with his contract expiring in the summer, meant that Huddersfield could capitalise. At Town, Duane has the opportunity to play in his preferred position and offers something different to O’Brien and Hogg, by being the link for the attack.
Not only that but Holmes is back at a club he’s familiar with, so one would assume that it shouldn’t take long for him to get up to speed in comparison to other new signings. The only doubt you would add is that the 5’6” midfielder has had injuries and if Hogg, O’Brien and Holmes are the preferred midfield three for Carlos Corberán, then it’s quite a small midfield.
Size doesn’t matter if Holmes can add to the creativity that Huddersfield are so desperately crying out for at the moment and while we wait to see the club’s plans for how the squad looks for next season, this is a signing that can make an immediate impact now and hopefully, become a mainstay in the team for years to come.
How do you think Duane Holmes will do in his second stint at Town? Let us know in the comments.
