Danny Schofield should now look to re-sign these former Huddersfield Town players after his sudden promotion to head coach following Carlos Corberan’s unexpected resignation.
The Terriers promoted Schofield to the top job last week in response to Corberan stepping down from The John Smith’s Stadium helm out of the blue last Wednesday. His exit caught many by surprise, having led the west Yorkshire natives to the Championship play-off final.
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Huddersfield gave Corberan his break as a senior manager in 2020 when the former Leeds United youth boss replaced Danny Cowley. The 39-year-old went on to oversee 102 games across all competitions for 39 wins and 27 draws, with 127 goals scored to 131 conceded.
Corberan’s final game in charge saw Nottingham Forest beat Huddersfield 1-0 at Wembley for a place in the Premier League. The Terriers had finished the regular Championship term in third-place with a six point deficit to Bournemouth and the automatic promotion places.
Now, Schofield will hope to go one better than Corberan and lead Huddersfield back to the top-flight. The 2022/23 season will be the club’s fourth Championship campaign since their relegation. So, which former Huddersfield players can he re-sign to help clinch promotion?
Schofield should re-sign former Huddersfield player Colwill from Chelsea
One of the first things on Schofield’s to-do list as Huddersfield boss must be to re-sign Levi Colwill from Chelsea. The 19-year-old was a key part of Corberan’s plans as the Terriers bid for promotion last season after he moved to west Yorkshire from Stamford Bridge on loan.
Colwill enjoyed 29 appearances at The John Smith’s Stadium during the regular second-tier season and two more in the play-offs. He also offered two goals and one assist, whilst only seeing five yellow cards. The centre-half additionally helped the club keep 12 clean sheets.
Schofield will be loath to try and replace what Colwill provided now the England U21 talent has returned to Chelsea. But the Press Association report he accepts regular senior outings are unlikely in west London as they target Nathan Ake, so he may temporarily leave again.
Schofield can boost offence by re-signing former Huddersfield player Grant
Schofield can try to boost Huddersfield’s offensive firepower by re-signing former Terriers forward Karlan Grant from West Brom. The 24-year-old left for The Hawthorns in 2020 for £15m and proved to be value for money last season with a prolific record in the final-third.
Grant provided 18 goals and six assists over 44 regular-season appearances as the Baggies finished in just 10th-place. He also hit 10 of his total and laid on three assists from the left-wing, having featured 26 times from the flank rather than in his preferred central position.
Huddersfield know first-hand what Grant can achieve in the Championship, too, having hit 19 over 43 games in 2019/20. Now, Schofield should explore re-signing the former England U18 prospect as West Brom are exploring a deal for Dwight Gayle, per The Northern Echo.
Huddersfield should look to re-sign former player Mounie from Stade Brestois
Another former Huddersfield player who can help Schofield get the Terriers across the line for promotion is Stade Brestois forward Steve Mounie. The 27-year-old was a solid option during the club’s two seasons in the Premier League and later return to the Championship.
He recorded 19 goals and seven assists in 95 appearances across all competitions before the 42-cap Benin international’s 2020 departure. Brest paid Huddersfield €5m (£4.25m) for 20 goals and six assists in 75 games so far, with nine goals in each of his two Ligue 1 terms.
Schofield should now consider re-signing the former Huddersfield player to spread around the goalscoring burden better than last season. Danny Ward topped the leaderboard with 14 in 40 regular-season outings – the only Terriers ace with double digits under Corberan.
Schofield can strengthen his core with move to bring Mooy back to England
Schofield can additionally strive to strengthen the core of his engine room by moving to re-sign former Huddersfield player Aaron Mooy. The 31-year-old was the Terriers’ heartbeat in midfield over four years in west Yorkshire, making 120 appearances across all competitions.
He also registered 11 goals and 15 assists after making a loan move from Manchester City permanent on the back of winning the Championship play-offs for £8m, rising to £10m, in 2017. Huddersfield later recouped just £5m from Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2020.
Yet the Seagulls did not wait long before they turned a profit as Shanghai Port paid £7.5m in August 2020. But the Daily Record note the Australian has now negotiated his exit from the Chinese Super League outfit whilst quoting his agent, Josh Barnett, discussing his options.
“There’s plenty of interest around the world for Aaron and we’re weighing up all the options,” Barnett said. “There’s certainly no rush to make a decision.”
Gorenc Stankovic can strengthen Schofield’s squad after Sturm Graz spell
Jon Gorenc Stankovic can help strengthen Schofield’s engine room if Huddersfield re-sign their former player from Sturm Graz. The Slovenian anchor switched the Championship for the Austrian Bundesliga in 2020 following four seasons in west Yorkshire for just 46 games.
He seldom played at The John Smith’s Stadium having endured a nightmare run of injuries at the club. Knee ligament issues, for example, sidelined Gorenc Stankovic for 16 months, but the 11-cap international has put his problems in the past to now emerge as a leader.
Gorenc Stankovic has so far made 75 appearances for Sturm Graz, who he captained in the Europa League last term. He also led the Merkur Arena outfit to second-place in the league during 2021/22 to now qualify for the Champions League third qualifying round in August.
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