Thomas is a tough man to replace, but these three players should be near the top of the Terriers’ list
Huddersfield Town have a huge summer ahead as they prepare for life in League One under new boss Michael Duff.
Town were relegated from the Championship in 23rd position with 45 points in 2023/24, and German boss Andre Breitenreiter left the club on May 10, with Duff then hired three days later on a three-year contract.
Wales international Sorba Thomas has been one of the club’s outstanding players since his arrival in January 2021, and had the second-most key passes of all Championship players last campaign, with 123 according to fbref.
It seems very unlikely that he would want to drop into the third-tier, and looks to be on the move this summer with second-tier suitors at the ready to battle for his signature.
That means that the Terriers will need to look to try and replace his output this summer, and should have some money to use from his departure with two years still left on his contract.
With that said, here are three players that Huddersfield should look at targeting as his replacement should Thomas exit the club.
Shola Shoretire
Shoretire’s career has not panned out how many expected it to so far, after breaking through into the first-team at boyhood club Manchester United three years ago.
After impressing with his trickery at under-18 and under-21 levels, Shoretire made his senior bow for United at the age of 17 in February 2021 for United as a late substitute in a Premier League win over Newcastle United, and became the club’s youngest player to make an appearance in a European competition four days later against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
After two further first-team appearances in 2021/22, he joined Bolton Wanderers on loan in January 2023 and made 16 appearances at the University of Bolton Stadium, scoring his first goal in senior football and notching two assists.
He has been prolific while playing for United’s under-21’s in the 2023/24 campaign, with seven goals and four assists in nine Premier League 2 games, but is now at a crossroads in his career at 20-years-old.
The Manchester Evening News reported that Shoretire received interest from Championship clubs and abroad last summer and was attracting plenty of attention again in January, but details of his contract are unclear, and he could be set to leave the club for free in the upcoming transfer window despite the club “hoping he signs a new deal”.
He is yet to seriously impress above League One level, so a move to Huddersfield – whether on loan or permanently – would be realistic and exciting for the club heading into next season.
Dominik Kother
German winger Kother may be a complete unknown in English football, but Huddersfield are no strangers to picking players up from the continent after signing Delano Burgzorg, Bojan Radulovic and Radinio Balker from Mainz, Helsinki and Groningen respectively in the last two transfer windows.
Kother broke through at his boyhood club Karlsruher SC in 2019/20, and made 43 appearances and scored five goals in the 2.Bundesliga for the club, then spent 18 months on loan in the third-tier with Waldhof Mannheim before leaving Karlsruher permanently to join Jahn Regensburg last summer.
The 24-year-old’s debut season with Die Jahnelf could not have gone any better, with 10 goals and 11 assists in 37 league games as the club finished third in the 3.Liga, and added to that tally with two goals and two assists in the play-offs as they were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga against Wehen Wiesbaden.
Kother is creative like Thomas, but also dynamic and direct – as shown by his 2.15 successful take-ons per 90 minutes, 2.97 progressive carries per 90 and 2.35 fouls drawn per 90 in the 2020/21 season for Karlsruher, according to fbref.
There is likely to be interest from promotion-chasing German second tier sides after his impressive exploits, but it is still wholly realistic that Huddersfield sign Kother despite being in League One, with the lure of English football and money that they can offer surely being an upgrade on any other possible domestic offers.
Jodi Jones
Jones was one of League Two’spremier attacking players at Notts County last season, with his outstanding performances earning him the 2023/24 Player of the Year accolades for both the Magpies and also the whole division.
The 26-year-old joined County from Oxford United on loan in January 2023, then made the move permanent last summer after helping the club win promotion from the National League with 107 points.
He bagged six goals and 24 assists in 43 league games in 2023/24, breaking a record previously jointly held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry for most assists in an English professional league in a single season.
Leave a Reply