“£2-3 million” – Huddersfield Town slammed for reported Sorba Thomas price tag

Fan Pundit believes Thomas has been undervalued

Speaking to FLW, Graeme could scarcely believe the suggested figure, stating his belief that Thomas is worth at least double that amount.

He said: “Sorba Thomas being available for three-quarters of a million. That was reported in the same story as Rudoni and, again, I think it’s in the opposite direction.

“It’s questionable how accurate that is. He’s under contract for two more seasons, until the end of the 2025/26 season. Last season he created the most chances in the Championship of any player except one, which was a player for Ipswich. So, whatever you think about Sorba Thomas, he is an asset to any team in the Championship, at the Championship level.

“His set-pieces cause defences problems, and he has a lot of attributes that would have a lot of clubs in the Championship looking at him and being willing to pay £2-3million for him, I believe.

“So, if we’ve offered him at £750k, I think that’s a mistake, but I think it might also be an indication of the perception that perhaps mentally, or in terms of his character, he’s a bit of a bad egg.”

Although Graeme doesn’t buy into that theory, he believes the perception of Thomas could be playing into the reduced asking price.

He continued: “I don’t necessarily subscribe to that view, but it is certainly one thing that is bandied around. He’s very emotional on the pitch. If things aren’t going our way he does, kind of, fling his arms about and have almost tantrums on the pitch. And that permeates.

“Andre Breitenreiter alluded to players having the wrong attitude, and left him out of the side, so it’s been interpreted that he is a disruptive influence.

“Having said that, even if he is a disruptive influence, he’s one with a value, and we shouldn’t underprice him.

“So, I think, I question the accuracy of that, because I just don’t understand why we would be prepared to let him go for so small a figure.

“Not long ago, two seasons ago, he went to the World Cup with Wales. He’s an international, he creates an awful lot of chances and, you know, the Championship is a division where: you create chances, you take them, you stand a chance of getting in via the play-offs, even if you’re not a great side.

“So, there will be teams that maybe finished 12th, 13th, 14th last season, looking at his stats and thinking, ‘he could be a real asset to us. If we get him on board, that could propel us to the play-offs’. And that £2-3 million could suddenly turn to, what is it? £160 million on Championship play-off day, or whatever the figure is? So, yeah, I think, if it’s true, we’ve undervalued him.”

The Terriers’ season may have dented his value

Graeme correctly identified that Thomas created the second-most chances in the Championship last season, 123, only two behind the leaderboard leader Leif Davis.

He is also way out in front of the rest of the league for expected assists (xA) which feeds from the expected goals (xG) of the resulting chance that has been created.

It suggests that the 24-year-old has been creating a lot of high-quality chances, but that the finishing touch has not quite been there from his team-mates around him.

Still, nine assists and four goals as part of a struggling Huddersfield side is not a bad return.

Some of his creative stats put him among, and ahead of, names like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Crysencio Summerville, and Gabriel Sara; some of whom will be playing Premier League football next season and all of whom have been valued extremely higher than the price tag set on Thomas.

A fire sale may be understandable as the Terriers look to cope with relegation, but, as Graeme suggests, they must ensure they aren’t wildly undervaluing their top talent in looking for a quick sale.