Following their relegation from the Championship, there is expected to be quite the turnover in the Huddersfield Town squad over the summer.
The Terriers would finish the season in 23rd, a whole six points from safety and looked doomed from some way out. Picking up just one win from their last twelve games, it came as no real surprise to see the club part ways with manager Andre Breitenreiter, who had only joined the club in February.
Prior to his appointment, it was Darren Moore who was in charge and he’d fare only slightly better, departing with the club sat in 21st yet picking up just three wins from the 23 matches prior. After all the managerial trouble that the Terriers have endured this season, there is at least some hope for the future through the appointment of Michael Duff.
The former Swansea City manager never truly looked comfortable with the Championship outfit but that doesn’t mean he’d be out of place in the division. He does however boast an excellent record in the third tier through spells with Cheltenham Town and Barnsley and will be looking to hit the ground running with his new side.
As you’d expect from a relegated Championship side, Huddersfield are one of the favourites for promotion next term but will have to recruit well if they want to justify that favouritism. Under Duff though there’s certainly a chance of that happening and there’s a certain pull factor that he brings with him.
They’ve been linked with a rather ambitious move for Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez by journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon and that would be some signing given the striker has appeared in the top flight 21 times this season and scoring on two occasions.
Rodriguez would however finish the season out of favour and could’ve played his last game for the club with his contract at Turf Moor up this summer. He could be a star for an ambitious League One side such as Huddersfield but surely still has the quality to be a focal point of a Championship attack. In the same report, Stoke City are also linked with the 34-year-old which could well be a likelier landing spot.
With 258 appearances in the Premier League and a further 189 in the Championship, Rodriguez would bring a plethora of experience with him but at 34, is past his best. Nonetheless he’d be quite the signing for Huddersfield if they were to pull it off.
Writer’s View
The appointment of Duff is certainly an exciting one and his track record in the league speaks for itself. He could well be the man to lead the club back to the second tier and seems to have quite an exciting project on his hands.
He’ll certainly help get some transfers over the line but perhaps sealing Rodriguez’s signature would be a step too far based off of the fact that the striker has still been appearing in the top flight this year. His wages would be rather high as well which could further harm the chances of a move.
Rodriguez should still have the quality to be a top player in the Championship and perhaps teams like Stoke should be the ones who should be monitoring him closely.
