The Terries are quite busy in the market / Image via examiner.co.uk
Huddersfield Town fans are still struggling to wrap their heads around the club’s – until recently – unimaginable success, but the club management has wasted no time basking in the Premier League glow.
Dreamlike Promotion
One of the clubs’s with the lowest budget in the Championship, Huddersfield Town clinched promotion to the Premier League in style as they beat Reading in a dramatic penalty shootout in the Championship play-off final earlier in May.
The Wembley dream marked their return to the top flight for the first time since 1972, but bookies are not convinced the dream would last. Huddersfield Town are the bookies’ favourites to be relegated next season at 4/7 betting odds. Determined to beat the odds and prove doubters wrong, Huddersfield Town have rolled up their sleeves and dug in deep to prepare the city, club and team for their new life in the elite.
The preparations are fully underway around the John Smith Stadium and inside it, while Huddersfield Town are also building their squad up to the requirements of the demanding Premier League world.
Having gone from a £11 million turnover to a £110 million turnover in just a day’s time, Huddersfield Town are battling a daunting challenge, trying to present the charismatic coach David Wagner with a competitive squad.
“We have got a team for survival, but we do not want to be talking about survival, we want to give it a really good crack.”, the club chairman Dean Hoyle said.
Busy Bees
Hoyle’s bold claims were given merit through Huddersfield Town’s transfer activity which has been nothing short of impressive. The Premier League newbies have boosted their ranks with no less than eight new players thus far.
Chelsea youngster Kasey Palmer has returned on another loan, whereas Town also loaned in Jonas Lossl, a Denmark international goalkeeper who arrived from Mainz. Reading midfielder Daniel Williams joined Huddersfield Town on a free transfer, whereas the club went on to break its own transfer record four times already this summer.
Porto striker Laurent Depoitre was the first record signing Huddersfield paid £3.5 million to acquire, but the record did not hold for too long as the club crushed it by wrapping an £8 million transfer of Manchester City midfielder Aaron Mooy. Another record was blown when Huddersfield recruited Tom Ince for the identical fee from Derby.
Finally, the Terries have signed the 22-year-old Montpellier striker Steve Mounie for a fee believed to be in the region of £11.44 million plus add-ons. The Benin international comes on the back of a prolific season in Ligue 1, having bagged 14 goals in 32 starts for his former club.
David Wagner has been closely involved in the club’s transfer dealing and believes Mounie should be a perfect fit for the Premier League due to his impressive physical attributes. His proven goal record in France stands as a validation of his quality despite a young age and Wagner has big expectations from his latest addition.
“We have met and I know he’s a great character”, Wagner said.
Heart on the Sleeve
Highlighting the character ahead of other attributes in a player is nothing to be confused with when it comes to former Borussia Dortmund II boss. Having taken his team from 19th to fifth in the table, David Wagner feels Huddersfield Town’s close-to-fiction rise to the Premier League goes down to great desire of his players and a unique team atmosphere.
Fantastic motivator and great educator as he is, Wagner deployed some unusual methods to strengthen the bond among his players and has credited the team spirit with Premier League promotion success.
Already compared to Leicester City and their Premier League dream, Huddersfield Town are keen to make their own identity. And with a big character David Wagner in the driving seat and a couple of players who could be a big hit in the Premier League next season, Huddersfield Town have already succeeded in their intention.
The Terries are already an exciting side with a solid and ever-growing fan base and a heart on their sleeve.
And that’s exactly what makes them different, unique and special.
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