Recently Huddersfield Town have sprung into action in the transfer zone and have broken their transfer record three times in just two weeks. Funds generated by the Championship play-off victory and promotion to the Premier League has allowed them to purchase a number of talented players, the first step in their mission to defy the odds and survive the step up.
We will take a look at some of these signings below from all areas of the pitch, and analyse what they can bring to the newly promoted Terriers in their quest for survival.
Laurent Depoitre
Huddersfield’s first signing of the summer, Depoitre arrived on 23rd June from Porto for £3.5 million, immediately breaking their previous transfer record of £1.8 million when defender Christopher Schindler moved to the Terriers last summer.
The 6 foot 3 inch striker towers over Huddersfield’s forwards of last season – Nahki Wells and Elias Kachunga – and brings greater reasoning for wide play, with crosses into the box from the wings surely to be pounced on by the Belgian.
Steve Mounié
From one tall striker to another, Steve Mounié stands just 1cm below Depoitre and at the time of writing is Town’s record signing of £11.44 million. Moving from Montpellier, The 22-year-old from Benin has signed a four-year contract and is a player that can grow to the challenge of the Premier League this season.
It will be interesting to see if Mounié will play alongside Depoitre at all this campaign to bring a double aerial threat into the penalty area, or whether David Wagner will simply rotate the two strikers to keep a similar system while resting players.
Tom Ince
Embed from Getty ImagesThe son of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince, 25-year-old winger Tom Ince signed on 4th July. Whilst mainly playing on the right for Derby County last season, he showed versatility by also playing in centre midfield on a handful of occasions. Ince is another player that should bring goals to The John Smith’s stadium this season, setting up 12 goals in the Championship during his 2-year spell at Derby, and netting 26 of his own.
Aaron Mooy / Kasey Palmer
Huddersfield will be playing with two of their main central midfielders that were instrumental in last season’s promotion clinching campaign. In particular, 26-year-old Aaron Mooy, who was on loan from Manchester City for the 2016/17 season, appeared in all but one of the Terriers’ league matches, and was voted Town’s Player of the Year by fans.
Mooy has now been signed permanently from City and it’s easy to see why Huddersfield were so keen on doing so; his passing was immaculate last season and he was certainly the most important player in launching attacks from the centre of the pitch.
Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer will also be playing in Huddersfield’s midfield once again this season, after extending his loan for an extra year. At 20 years of age, he is a player with the chance to make a name for himself in the Premier League this year.
Mathias Jørgensen
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of Huddersfield’s most recent signings, centre back Mathias Jørgensen (who goes by the nickname Zanka) has played over 50 games in the Champions League and Europa League. The 27-year-old Dane is a very calm and composed defender, which is perhaps what Huddersfield were missing last season as they conceded more goals than they netted themselves.
Other players who have already joined the Terriers this summer include central midfielder Danny Williams from Reading, left back Scott Malone from Fulham and goalkeeper Jonas Lössl from the German outfit Mainz.
Huddersfield have undoubtedly made some excellent signings so far this summer, and seem to be heading in the right direction in terms of getting ready for the top flight. Their squad depth has now improved dramatically and David Wagner has stated that rotation is an important aspect to focus on if they are to stay in the Premier League. It looks like that fight for survival has already began for Huddersfield Town.
Written by Harry Mahon.
