Huddersfield Town AFC: Mission Impossible?

With still well over a month to go until the start of the new Premier League season Huddersfield
Town AFC are the odds-on favourite to return straight back to the Championship. However, we
all know that the bookmakers can get it wrong sometimes. Anyone remember when Leicester won
the Premier League?

After finishing 19th in the Championship in the 2015-16 season Huddersfield were again favourites to
be in a relegation battle. But under US-German manager David Wagner they surprised everyone by
being top of the table after 11 game rounds. They would eventually finish 5th in the play-off places.
After overcoming Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final on penalties they would be on their way to
Wembley to face Reading. After 120 minutes, they were tied at 0-0 but yet again Huddersfield would
triumph 4-3 on penalties. Huddersfield were back in the English top division for the first time since
the 1971-72 season!

Huddersfields survival struggle will likely be even harder after Player of the Year Aaron Mooys
return to Manchester City. Mooy, 26, was on loan at the John Smiths stadium for the duration of
last season and was even named in The EFL Championship Team of the Year. It is suggested that
Huddersfield are looking to buy Mooy for around 8 million however it is believed that many other
clubs, like promoted rivals Newcastle and Brighton, could bid around 10 million for Mooys services
in the future. Huddersfield would also lose the services of winger Isiah Brown, midfielder Kasey
Palmer and Goalkeeper Danny Ward.

Who Huddersfield bring in and keep at the club will also be vital in helping their survival effort next
season. They have already bought in striker Elias Kachunga (who scored 13 times for them on loan
last season) for just over 1 million from Ingolstadt as well as striker Lauren Depoitre for a club
record fee of 3.5 million. Depoitre might not be enough to save Huddersfield though after only
scoring 3 times in 17 outings last season for Gent and Porto. One thing we can learn from this is that
Wagner is not intent on just sitting back and defending against their opposition next season. Other
reported transfer targets include Derbys Tom Ince and Nottingham Forests striker Britt
Assombalonga with Nahki Wells and Michael Hefele likely to exit.

The odds are really not in Huddersfields favour as the last 3 teams to gain promotion to the Premier
League through the play offs have returned straight back to the Championship. But who knows what
will happen with how surprising football can be and there being no pressure at all on Huddersfield.
But what we do know, is that Huddersfield start their Premier League journey at home to Swansea
on the 12th August. Only after that match can we really tell how Huddersfield will do.

Thank you for reading,

maxdj