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January Transfer window review

02/02/22

It was looking like Town were not going to do any business, until deadline day when 3 new faces walked through the front door at Canalside. Firstly goalkeeper Jamal Blackman - who wasn't the first person to swap LA for Huddersfield this January after Samuel L Jackson was spotted in Town. Next in was highly rated Chelsea prospect Tino Anjorin whose loan at Lokomotiv Moscow was cut short to allow him to move albeit temporarily to West Yorkshire. Finally out of nowhere the familiar face of Carel Eiting rejoined Town only 6 months after his loan ended.

Jamal Blackman - Free Agent

Contract Expires - May 2022

Signing a backup goalkeeper is never going to get a huge reaction, they are necessary additions, but never ones that will get fans too excited. Blackman coming in on a deal till the end of the season isn't a bad bit of business by Town. Most recently at LA FC in the MLS, he has a decent amount of Championship with 56 appearances across 3 clubs.
He will provide good cover for Lee Nicholls while Ryan Schofield is out injured and probably is closer to competing for the number 1 jersey than Schofield is. It will be interesting to see if Blackman is given a chance in the cup against Barnsley, but I don't think he will pose too much competition to Nicholls.

Tino Anjorin - Chelsea, on loan

Contract Expires - Loan until the end of the season

A young attacking midfielder signed from a London club in January on loan, that sounds familiar. Tino signs on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season in what is a huge coup for Town.
If you want to know about Anjorin then I wrote an article about what to expect earlier this week, which can be found here.
Town is hoping to integrate Tino into the squad over February, as he is currently recovering from an injury that he picked up in November, which he is in the last phase of now.

Carel Eiting - Genk, Free Transfer

Contract Expires - June 2022

Carel Eiting is a name that is familiar to all Huddersfield Town fans, as he was on loan last season from Ajax. He made 23 appearances scoring 3 goals, while the only blemish in his first spell was the long term injury he sustained. If Town manages his minutes and makes sure he stays injury-free, I don't think it is needed to be mentioned how good he can be.
He adds depth and fills the hole in the midfield that was created when he left last season. The calls for a creative number 8 that Town have been crying out for all season have finally been heard. Eiting opens up a key selection question, does Corberan play a midfield three, or does he stay with a two, if so, which player is getting dropped to make way for him?

Loans

9 players departed Canalside on loan during the January window. All nine left to gain experience at EFL clubs which shows how big of an improvement the academy has seen in the past few years, usually, Town only has 3/4 players out at any one time and the few that are, are playing National League and below. Now Town is seeing their players develop at professional sides, which is only going to improve our side in the years to come. Jacob Chapman was the only player recalled permanently as he now acts as cover for the first team goalkeeper position.

Diarra - Harrogate Town, League 2

Harrogate fans are already drooling over Diarra's silky play, with the 18-year-old having made 6 appearances so far for the Sulphurites. He was impressive in the FA Cup loss at Luton, winning plaudits amongst both sets of fans. Arguably the most exciting player in the academy, it is going to be interesting to see how Diarra gets on at Harrogate.

Josh Austerfield - Harrogate Town, League 2

Harrogate signed Austerfield along with Diarra for the rest of the season. It is a good deal for Josh, certainly feel like he deserves the chance, but it is big test for him. He needs to tie down a spot in the Harrogate midfield if he is going to have any hope of making an impact at Huddersfield.

Kian Harratt - Port Vale, League 2

Kian Harratt scores goals. 16 goals in 15 B team starts this season, which saw him move on loan to Port Vale where he has 2 goals in 6 appearances under the stewardship of former Town coach Dean Whitehead.
At 20, this move is perfect for him, he'll get consistent game time and it'll prepare him to come back to Town next season and impact the first team squad. His goal on his debut against Lossl, was nothing short of sensational, a diving header against one of Town's best in recent years. Followed up by a thunderous shot from outside the box on his league debut.

Kieran Phillips - Exeter City, League 2

The loan to Walsall was not a disaster, but not ideal. 5 goals, 1 assist in 33 games, but played out wide on many occasions. Hopefully at Exeter he can play through the middle more as I think that is his best position from what I have seen of him.

Matty Daly - Bradford City, League 2

Another player who has huge potential, which hasn't yet been fulfilled, but a loan move to Bradford should give Daly another chance at success. 7 goals, 3 assists in 27 games at Hartlepool is a great return, but those stats were hugely slanted by the 5 goals in 4 EFL trophy games. I feel with Matty that he needs to prove that he is good enough to have a future at Town. I thought that he would tear up League 2 when he went to Hartlepool, but he didnt't quite do just that. So far in his loan at Bradford he has 1 goal in 4 appearances and I feel with his loan here it is all about getting as much game time as possible, stand out in that Bradford side and we might have a Lewis O'Brien V2 on the way...

Romoney Crichow - Plymouth Argyle, League 1

Crichlow was a fan favourite at Swindon Town in the first half of the season, making 24 appearances in all competitions, but Town clearly thought best to send him to Plymouth, who are a league higher.

Ben Jackson - Doncaster Rovers, League 1

I was a bit surprised by the lack of first team game time that Town's B team captain got this season, but a move to Doncaster who are fighting relegation is a huge test for Ben. He had a loan move to Bolton last season where he scored a crucial match-winning goal in their quest for promotion, but was limited in his opportunities there. If he can get a run of games in the Rovers team and can play himself into some form, then there is no reason he can't come back and be a squad player at Town next season.
Jackson joins Mipo and Adam Clayton at Rovers in what seems like a Huddersfield Town tribute act.

Nicholas Bilokapic - Hartlepool United, League 2

Having made his professional debut in the FA Cup against Burnley as a substitute for the injured Ryan Schofield. Bilokapic makes a loan move to the North East where Matty Daly spent the first half of the season. Town has high hopes for the 19-year-old Aussie, who will be given his first proper chance in senior football at Hartlepool. As a keeper, he just needs to get out and get game time, so this is a great move for him.

Reece Brown - Peterborough United, Championship

The best thing that Brown has done for Town is being an example that not all project players work out. It was a shame really, he looked like a really exciting signing when he first signed, but a poor attitude and lack of opportunities makes his time at Town a disappointment.

The Verdict

Town managed to improve their first team squad, loan out and develop their youth prospects while keeping the likes of Josh Koroma, Sorba Thomas and Lewis O'Brien, who could have left. For this alone it is hard to criticise anything that the club did in this window.
The deals done only tie us down till the end of the season so cause no long term danger to the club's finances if any of the signings don't work out. Overall as January transfer windows go, it was impressive and I would grade them 8.5/10.