Striker Dion Charles has been tipped to shine next season after a disappointing start to his Huddersfield Town career.
Chasing down a top six spot in League One, the Terriers opted to bolster their attacking options in January by bringing in Charles alongside Luton Town striker Joe Taylor. The duo struggled though, with Taylor finding the net just twice whilst his fellow new arrival failed to get on the scoresheet in 18 appearances. Huddersfield faltered as a result, eventually finishing 10th and 14 points off the play-off places.
Fresh faces offer Charles a fresh start for the upcoming campaign. Lee Grant has taken up the position in the dugout and has already added seven new signings to his ranks.
The former Bolton Wanderers man will be desperate to repay his worth, with the Yorkshire-based side having reportedly shelled out £750,000 for his signature during the winter transfer window.
Don Goodman Tips Charles For Lucrative Season
Although it’s been a tough start to life at the John Smith’s Stadium, the Northern Ireland international knows where the back of the net is. He scored 57 times in 149 outings for Bolton since joining from Accrington Stanley in 2022, and has 72 League One goals to his name during his career.
As such, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes the 29-year-old will come good. Speaking to Football League World, he said:
“Dion Charles is pretty proven at League One level. Last season, obviously, was disappointing and when he arrived at Huddersfield, I think there was great expectation, but he wasn’t able to score in 18 League One games for them.
“And as the games go by, there’s no doubt about it, you could probably see a little bit of confidence going. So if Lee Grant can get the Dion Charles of the previous two seasons where he’d scored over 20 goals for Bolton in both of them, then Huddersfield are going to be in business.
“So it’s about unlocking that key and instilling confidence back into Dion Charles, because there’s no doubt about it, there’s a striker that is more than capable of scoring quite a lot of goals in a decent team in League One, and that’s what I feel Town are going to be.”
Writer’s View
Although Dion Charles struggled for his new club, it’s fair to say he joined a team that were exceptionally low on confidence. The second half of the campaign was disappointing for all involved and the departure of Michael Duff in March certainly didn’t help matters. The striker will be hoping to hit the ground running next month and will be aided by a full pre-season alongside his new teammates. Alongside Joe Taylor, the duo could form one of the deadliest attacks in League One.
