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Who are the Major Players in Huddersfield Town's Transfer Strategy?

13/06/2022

Huddersfield Town has already confirmed the arrival of William Boyle on a free transfer and are expected to make more before the window closes, but who are the players that underpin Town's transfer strategy.

Town choose not to activate the buy option in Danel Sinani's contract, but was it because he wasn't deemed up to standard? It seems to have been revealed by Sinani himself in an interview with Luxembourg publication L'Essential. When Danel was asked about his Huddersfield future: "Huddersfield clearly told me that if we went up, they would activate the buy option, but otherwise, it would be financially complicated." This is interesting as it says a lot about Town's finances, but it isn't as clear as one might think.

Firstly it could be interpreted as Town simply doesn't have the money available at this moment to complete the deal. Or, that although they like him, he would compromise future deals, as he would take too much of a percentage of the available funds. If Town were to be promoted to the Premier League, signing him (for argument's sake) for £750,000 from an initial transfer budget of £25 million is a lot less of an impact than if Town's budget is only £2.5 million.

In an ideal world, I think Town would have signed him, but they feel from a financial standpoint at this moment in time that it is not viable. However, Town might still return for the Luxembourg international if a few players are shifted on.

Lewis O'Brien

Lewis is Town's is Town's most valuable asset and it is expected that he will leave the club this summer. West Ham, Crystal Palace and Leeds are said to be interested in Town's academy graduate. It is known that there is a release clause in Lewis O'Brien's contract that he signed last summer, although the amount has never been made public - it is rumoured to be £10 million. The key thing here however is that if the clause is activated, the full amount must be deposited in Town's account, otherwise, a higher fee can be agreed upon, e.g. through the use of add-ons or instalments.

I think it is a matter of 'when' not 'if' O'Brien leaves. Although it is thought that the release clause is set at £10 million, that figure is worth most to Town the earlier it is activated in the window. The later it gets, the more Town will have to spend on a replacement for Lewis.

Harry Toffolo

Town has been in contract talks for a year now with Harry Toffolo and it looks like although not publically confirmed, those talks have stalled. Town had to activate the extension they held on Toffolo's contract that was set to expire on 30th June this year. If a new deal can not be confirmed, then it would be financially negligent not to sell him this summer. I think a deal worth around £5 million would be enough to prise the 26-year-old away from Canalside.

It would leave a hole in Corberan's team, but could present Corberan with an opportunity to tweak his tactics since Toffolo was already here when the Spaniard took over. He would be a huge loss, but it would be hoped that Town would be compensated a fair amount if he was to move on.

Josh Koroma

If last summer, a bid of £1.5 million was submitted for Josh Koroma, it would have been laughed off. 12 months on however, Town might snap the hands off of any suitor for that amount.

I don't think Koroma played as well as he did in his first season under Corberan, but part of that is down to the system not suiting Town's number 10. There was a sort of over-reliance on Koroma in 2020-21, and Town's poor second half coincided with injuries to Pipa, Toffolo and especially Koroma.

I think there is still a player in Josh, but Town needs to tie him down or look to sell him on. Getting in between £1 and £2 million for a player who was on the periphery of Town's squad at the business end of the season could be key for Town's summer transfer strategy. I would be disappointed to see Koroma go, but even having an extra £500,000 could help ease a few incoming signings.

Pipa

Much like Josh Koroma, Pipa was one of the only bright sparks in what could only be described as a dismal 2020-21 season. A former Spanish U21 international, Pipa's contract expires at the end of the season, while Town does not hold an option to extend it without tying the full-back down on fresh terms. It would therefore be expected that Town will look to either tie down Pipa to a new deal or look to sell the Spaniard this summer. With Ollie Turton, Brodie Spencer and Aaron Rowe are alternatives to Pipa, Town may choose to shift on Pipa to free up wages and budget for a signing elsewhere. As said in my article last week, I felt that Town should be targetting a new right-wing-back. Pipa failed to get up to match sharpness and fitness throughout the whole of last season and while Turton was a decent alternative, it was a square peg in a round hole.

A fee upwards of £2 million should be enough to secure Pipa's services with Olympiacos supposedly keen. I do believe though that a percentage of a future fee clause should be inserted in any deal for Koroma or Pipa, as both still have the potential to demand an eight-figure fee in the future if they perform well.