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Who has made the Town squad on tour down to Cornwall?

12/07/2023

Huddersfield Town beat Bodmin Town 9-0 as they got their pre-season under Neil Warnock underway, while the result didn't really indicate much given they were a 10th tier side, the selection indicates who is in Warnock's plans for the coming season.

When Town released their First team squad list for the upcoming season, 30 players were listed, with notable omissions being Aaron Rowe and Kieran Phillips. From that list only 20 player made it into Warnock's 22 man strong list for the tour with 2 B team players added.

Injuries

The ankle injury Ollie Turton sustained during the defeat at Wigan Athletic has prevented Town's number 20 from making the trip to Cornwall. Tom Lees is also reported to be injured and hence not made the trip to the South East Coast.

Although not strictly an injury, Brahima Diarra has not been taken since he did not make it back for the first day of pre-season due to featuring in the Mali U23s side that came 3rd place in the U23 AFCON. However, it has not been confirmed the length of time Town's new number 11 has been given off.

Who has been included in the Training Camp?

1. Lee Nicholls
2. Rarmani Edmonds-Green
3. Josh Ruffels
4. Matty Pearson
5. Michal Helik
6. Jonathan Hogg
7. Jack Rudoni
8. Josh Koroma
9. Sorba Thomas
10. Jaheim Headley
11. Tyreece Simpson
12. Brodie Spencer
13. David Kasumu
14. Nicholas Bilokapic
15. Kian Harratt
16. Danny Ward
17. Patrick Jones
18. Kyle Hudlin
19. Ben Jackson
20. Yuta Nakayama
21. Josh Austerfield
22. Loick Ayina

Who has not been taken?

Etienne Camara, Scott High, Will Boyle, Jordan Rhodes, Connor Mahoney, Jacob Chapman and Duane Holmes have not been taken.

It makes sense to not have taken Jacob Chapman as he is the third choice keeper and would be better served using the B team as his pre-season. The nightmare for Connor Mahoney continues as Warnock has chosen not even to give the former Millwall man a chance to make an impression in pre-season. It just points towards what a waste of a signing he was and when the finances are so tight, you can't afford to sign players who are not going to make an impact in one way or another. Another signing from 12 months ago, Will Boyle has not made the cut and his future is up in the air for the second time as a Town player. I have never been a huge fan of Boyle, but the red card he sustained vs Stoke seems to have really hurt his chances. Warnock likes players he can trust and when a player gets two yellow cards for ridiculous tackles in the midst of a relegation battle, it is not a good representation. Boyle only made one matchday squad since Warnock took over and although Neil commented on Boyle's commitment in training, it looks almost certain the Town youth product will not be here come the end of the window.

The King of Huddersfield, Jordan Rhodes looks set to move on as well with him being left out of the training camp squad. Tyreece Simpson, Danny Ward, Kian Harratt and Kyle Hudlin have all been selected ahead of Rhodes and with Koroma's versatility and Warnock's admission about signing a new striker, it looks like Rhodes is set to move on. This does make me sad as although he may not fit the Warnock style of play, he does offer a different sort of proposition in attack. He finished last season as Town's top scorer in the league with 5 goals which although was not exactly impressive, he only made the one start under Warnock.

Two players who Town have brought through the academy and have missed out are Scott High and Etienne Camara. I feel like this is the end for Scott High as although he is still only 22, he needs and deserves to playing regular football at his age. The loan to Rotherham didn't work last season and subsequently only made 9 appearances since he returned in January last season. Camara is out of contract at the end of the season and with him refusing to sign a new deal as per Fabrizio Romano, Town will have to cash in on him. He has all the talent in the world, he just needs the maturity and effort to go with it. I think a season under Warnock would go a long way in his development, but clearly he isn't interested. Of all the players not taken, Etienne is the one of greatest value, while Town may not be able to get a multi-million-pound fee, there needs to be a hefty sell-on because at only 20, he certainly has the potential to be going for 8 figures in the future.

Lastly, Duane Holmes has been left at home, however it is been widely reported that the two-time USA international is set to move to Preston. I think it is a shame as Holmes is a player of versatility and commitment. The sale leaves Town very short in midfield, but if it allows Warnock to get in a player he really needs, then the move kind of makes sense.