Huddersfield Town will start next season in League One for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign. However, manager Michael Duff may have a trick up his sleeve with a Spanish-born striker.
The Terriers finished 23rd in the Championship in 2023/24, bringing an end to their five-year stay in the second tier following relegation from the Premier League in 2019.
The team struggled to score goals on their way back to League One, finding the back of the net just 48 times in 46 games – the fifth lowest in the division.
Huddersfield struggled to settle on a forward-line throughout last season, with a number of players including; Josh Koroma, Delano Burgzorg, Rhys Healey and Bojan Radulović all splitting responsibility.
However, with Burgzorg’s move to Middlesbrough and Healey’s inconsistency, Michael Duff could turn to Radulović to fire his side to glory in the third tier
Bojan Radulović has had a slow start to life at Huddersfield Town
When the 24-year-old Spain-born striker, who represented Serbia U19s, joined Huddersfield in January from HJK Helsinki in Finland, he came with a high reputation, and had pressure to perform from the off.
The striker was red-hot in the Veikkausliiga, scoring 26 goals in 47 games for HJK across two years, winning the 2023 Golden Boot in the process. His form transferred to the European front as well, scoring in both the Champions League and Europa League Qualifying stages, while finding the back of the net three times in the UEFA Conference League.
However, since making the move to England in January on a three-and-a-half year deal, Radulović has failed to bring his goalscoring ability with him.
He scored just once in 11 games in the Championship for Huddersfield, a far cry from the 18 he struck in his final full season in Helsinki. But, a lack of minutes had a huge impact on his form, as he started just four games.
Nevertheless, his pedigree is high given his stint at his previous club, and if given time, he looks like he will score goals. The 6ft 3in hitman has a point to prove next season, and under a new manager he could flourish, with Michael Duff having a history of getting the most out of his forwards.
2024-25 League One season could prove to be Bojan Radulovic’s making
After signing as a Championship player, former Brighton & Hove Albion man Radulovic will be expected to hit the ground-running in League One in the new season.
Another stuttering start could see him watching on from the sidelines once again, a nightmare situation for both player and club.
Duff will be the third manager that Radulović will have played under in just half a year, and this lack of stability may have had an impact on his own consistency.
With Duff’s experience in League One with Barnsley and Cheltenham Town, the 24-year-old has a fantastic mentor to get his career back on track. The ex-Burnley manager has nurtured a number of strikers in his past, with the likes of Alfie May and Devante Cole becoming serial goalscorers in the third tier in the last couple of seasons.
His prowess from the past is not fully lost yet, with his sole goal for Huddersfield showing his true ability. Radulovic struck an unstoppable strike against Stoke City in April to get off the mark for his team, and will be looking to do more of the same in League One.
The Terriers still have enough options to drop Radulović if he does not get up to speed, and with wages and financial implications always a huge factor in League One, he could be shown the exit door.
On the contrary, a fantastic year in blue and white may just set Huddersfield back on their way to the Championship, with a hot-shot striker ready to battle on his return to the second tier.
Leave a Reply