In his monthly Huddersfield Town review Huddersfield Hub sports editor STEVEN DOWNES looks back over August, as the club sits second bottom going into Sunday’s home game against Blackpool
The summer transfer window is behind us and some Huddersfield Town fans will see it as a success and some a failure. For me it’s a mix of both.
Whatever your opinion on the outcome it was a busy day for the Town hierachy with three players being brought in and four players being shipped out.
Let’s start with the incomings…
TYREECE SIMPSON
The 20-year-old striker has been brought in from Ipswich Town on a permanent deal until 2026. The big stocky 6ft 1in front man had a successful loan spell at League 2 Swindon Town last year, firing in 11 goals in 28 appearances and helping them gain promotion.
Not short on confidence he said in his club interview that Town striker Jordan Rhodes might be able to learn a thing or two from him!
Talk about the confidence of youth! All I would say is that Tyreece should walk before he can run since the aforementioned Rhodes has played 557 professional games scoring 221 goals. He is also one of the Terriers’ greatest-ever goalscorers but there is nothing wrong with confidence from the new man. He just has to live up to it.
I am looking forward to seeing what he brings to the team. However that won’t be on show until December since he is recovering from an injury.
Luke Mbete
Mbete was the second deadline day signing, a young, strong, athletic and quality centre back on loan from Manchester City. Town have proved in years gone by that they can nurture good Premier League talent, Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe and Chelsea’s Levi Colwill are good examples of this.
Mbete is only 18 years of age but has already played eight times for the current champions. London born and schooled in the Brentford academy I personally think this is a cracking signing by the club and puts more pressure on Tom Lees to step up and perform like he did last season.
Michal Helik
Helik has been bought from Barnsley for a reported £1 million, a good acquisition by Town and Tykes fans’ didn’t want to lose their best player.
A Polish international, we could see him at the World Cup this winter. I am excited to see him strengthen our defence. With Matty Pearson out injured we needed to strengthen in that area and this signing does that.
And now onto the outgoings…
Josh Koroma
Koroma left Town to go on loan to League 1 Portsmouth. For those Pompey fans who haven’t seen him play, you will either get rave reviews from Town fans about him or not.
A tricky, pacy winger for sure, but a one-trick pony in as far as he does the same action every time. He loves to cut in and shoot, but he doesn’t know how to take a man on, on the outside.
Two years ago Koroma started the 2020 season well, however an injury impacted him and, after a lengthy stint on the sidelines, he hasn’t been the same since. While his potential is still there, it might just take a different club to get it out of him.
Danny Grant
Danny Grant has been prolific in the Terriers’ B team, however he hasn’t been able to break through into the first team yet. Despite calls from fans to give him a chance, just like Pat Jones has been given, head coach Danny Schofield and his team either don’t seem to rate him or there is something else amiss.
Grant has been shipped out to Harrogate Town on loan where he will join up with two other Town loanees in Josh Austerfield and Jaheim Headley this season.
I personally want Danny to go there and prove the Town hierarchy wrong as it seems very strange that he hasn’t progressed through Town’s first team structure properly.
Jacob Chapman
Young keepers Chapman and Ryan Schofield have both gone out on loan. Schofield left for Hibernian some days ago but Chapman made the late move to League 2 Salford City.
Rarmani Edmonds-Green
REG has been sent on loan to fellow Championship side Wigan Athletic. The 23-year-old had a successful season last year on loan at League 1 Rotherham United and helped them gain promotion.
It is a strange loan to say Wigan are in our division and I would have thought this would have been the season for him to break through into Town’s first team properly.
However with the loan of Mbete and signing of Helik that may have made his playing time limited and thus Town made the decision to get him playing elsewhere.
In other news, three new contracts were handed out. Ollie Turton, who I thought was our most improved player last season, got one, Tom Lees was rewarded for his heroics last season and Jonathan Hogg… is just a legend.
On the pitch Town have lost four of their six league games so far and were embarrassingly dumped out of the League Cup by Preston North End last month losing 4-1 on the night.
A 3-1 win over Stoke lifted the mood slightly but Danny Schofield is hugely under pressure. How much longer fans give him is determined by results but, in my opinion, if things don’t pick up by the end of October the club need to have a serious re-think.
On Friday, Town released the devastatingly sad news about the death of Eleanor Haigh at the age of just 26.
Eleanor was part of Town’s communications department and was always great to deal with in my role as a journalist when I covered matches.
Eleanor was always friendly, professional and passionate about her role. She had a brilliant sense of humour, never took herself too seriously and was infectious with her attitude. She always tried to help whenever she could.
I’m a season card holder and also a registered blind supporter and Eleanor was a point of contact for me on home match days if the audio descriptive commentary wasn’t working. On every occasion she made sure whatever the issues were, that they were sorted and the commentary worked.
Eleanor was a fabulous person who will be missed by so many. Our thoughts and good wishes go out to her loved ones and those closest to her. She won’t be forgotten.
