Top Five Huddersfield Town Loanees From The Last Five Seasons – Opinion

by Categories EFL, EFL Championship, Huddersfield Town, We Discuss

Almost five years have now passed since Huddersfield Town suffered relegation from the Premier League and since then, they’ve spent four of the last five seasons embroiled in relegation battles at the foot of the Championship table. The outlier being the 2021-22 campaign, when they were narrowly beaten in the play-off final at Wembley. 

Since their second-tier return, the Terriers have exploited the loan market frequently, with a wealth of talent joining the club on a temporary basis. While some players failed to have the desired effect in West Yorkshire, others played a key role. Below, are the five standouts.

5.) Joe Hungbo (14 apps, 3 goals)

The most recent of the loanees featured in this article, winger Joe Hungbo played a starring role in Neil Warnock’s ‘Great Escape’ last season.

A January arrival, Hungbo moved to West Yorkshire on loan from fellow Championship outfit Watford, to replace the outgoing Sorba Thomas who had moved on loan to Blackburn Rovers. Leaving the London-born loanee with big shoes to fill in HD1.

Shortly after his arrival, Warnock made a sensational return to his former stomping ground and utilised the winger to great effect. All three of his goals for the Terriers came with the veteran manager at the helm, including a vital goal away at Cardiff City which put Town on their way to survival.

Much to the disappointment of Huddersfield supporters, Hungbo wasn’t retained by the club over the summer and has since moved to Germany, having joined 1.FC Nürnberg last year. The Terriers have undoubtedly missed his qualities in attack this season.

4.) Danel Sinani (42 apps, 7 goals)

A key member of the squad that defied the odds to finish third in the Championship table, winger Danel Sinani was instrumental for Head Coach Carlos Corberan in the 2021/22 campaign.

Arriving on loan from Norwich City where had found game time limited, the Luxembourgish wide-man missed just four league games as Town went all the way to the play-off final. Over the course of the season, Sinani stepped up with 10 goal contributions, which included a low-driven strike in the first leg of play-off showdown with Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.

Sinani’s form in West Yorkshire was undoubtedly the best he’s shown outside of his native Luxembourg and of the five players in this article, he’s the only one the Terriers had a buy option on. Despite this, his stay in West Yorkshire was never extended. Instead, he moved to Wigan Athletic for the following 2022/23 campaign, where he struggled to replicate his performances from his time in Huddersfield.

Like Hungbo, Sinani is currently playing in Germany, having joined table-toppers FC St. Pauli at the start of the season. He’s struggled to have the desired effect in Mainland Europe, however, making just six league outings at the time of writing.

3.) Emile Smith Rowe (19 apps, 2 goals)

The first of two England internationals to feature in this piece, Huddersfield fans still regale over Emile Smith Rowe’s time in Blue & White in the 2019/20 season. A winter arrival from Arsenal, Smith Rowe arrived in West Yorkshire to bolster Danny Cowley’s attacking options, with the Terriers locked in an almighty fight for Championship survival, similar to the one they find themselves in this season.

The arrival of midfielder gave Huddersfield the creativity they so desperately craved, with the Arsenal man stepping up with some massive moments in the run-in. This included the winner in a huge game against West Brom in the dying embers of the season, a goal that secured Championship survival and helped to lay down the foundations for future success under Carlos Corberan.

Over the summer of 2020, Smith Rowe returned to his parent club and established himself in the Gunners’ first team. A standout for Arsenal in the 2021/22 campaign by reaching double figures in the Premier League scoring charts, he made all of his three England caps over that period.

Injuries have held him back over the last two seasons, but the best is surely yet to come for a man who is still only 23. He never forgot to thank Huddersfield for their role in his development, later describing it as ‘one of the best experiences I’ve ever had’.

2.) Jonas Lössl (15 apps)

The only man in this article who had played for Huddersfield before, goalkeeper Jonas Lössl was another key figure in the survival squad of the 2019/20 season. Having previously appeared for the Terriers in their Premier League days between 2017 and 2019, the Danish goalkeeper moved to Everton upon the Terriers’ relegation from the top flight.

After moving to Merseyside, Huddersfield replaced Lössl with Kamil Grabara ahead of their Championship return, with the Pole, now of FC Copenhagen, establishing himself as the club’s new first choice for the first half of the 2019-20 campaign. However, when Grabara suffered a long-term injury in an away game at Hull City late on in January, they had just days to find a replacement for the second half of the season and they knew just the man to call, their former number one who had been a bench warmer at Goodison Park.

Returning to West Yorkshire with a clear goal of helping Town avoid consecutive relegations, a return to Huddersfield gave Lössl a welcome opportunity to right the wrongs of the previous 2018/19 season, with the Dane seizing the chance. In the run-in, he was imperious. A stunning display away at relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday was the highlight of his return.

At the end of the season, the curtain came down on Lössl’s Huddersfield career, with his return further cementing his place among the club’s best modern-day goalkeepers. After leaving Everton, he returned to his native Denmark where he currently appears for FC Midtjylland.

1.) Levi Colwill (31 apps, 2 goals)

The second England international to feature in this piece, defender Levi Colwill was instrumental in 2021/22, having arrived on loan from Chelsea for the season. One of the many players who have moved from Cobham to Huddersfield in recent years, with other examples including Kasey Palmer and Trevoh Chalobah, Colwill was undoubtedly the most successful, having flourished in HD1.

Arriving at the start of the campaign, the then-teenager was a mainstay in the Terriers defence when fit, often forming a successful partnership with the experienced Matty Pearson and Tom Lees as part of a central defensive trio. Despite his young age, he coped with the physical demands of the Championship incredibly well. It was clear that he had what it took to establish himself at a higher level, with his talent shining through more often than not.

With an accomplished passing range, Colwill was always going to be a perfect fit for Carlos Corberan’s possession-based football. As a result, he had many standout performances throughout the season. The youngster also stepped up with two big goals for Town, away from home at Sheffield United and Birmingham City respectively, with the former being a dramatic last-minute winner. Sadly, a decisive own goal in his last match for the club against Nottingham Forest in the play-off final prevented his spell in Yorkshire having a fairytale ending.

The defeat at Wembley also took away the hope many Huddersfield fans harboured of retaining Colwill for the following season. Instead, Chelsea sent him to Brighton where he enjoyed another successful loan spell. Ahead of the current campaign, he returned to Stamford Bridge where he has since established himself in Mauricio Pochettino’s team. He currently has one England cap to his name, which came against Australia late last year. He’s gone a long way since his spell in West Yorkshire, but that’s to the surprise of no one associated with HTAFC, who always knew he was destined for stardom.

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