Huddersfield Town are in the Championship relegation zone – should Terence Kongolo have left for Premier League newcomers Aston Villa?
Four years ago, a 20-year-old Terence Kongolo was being linked with Manchester United and Manchester City after helping Holland finish third in the 2014 World Cup (Daily Star).
The world was at the feet of a young defender from Feyenoord who, at the time, was rated far higher in his native Netherlands than a certain Virgil van Dijk. So few expected that, in the summer of 2019, Kongolo would be stuck in the Championship relegation zone at a managerless Huddersfield Town.
The Tilburg-born £17m man has endured a dramatic fall from grace in recent years while Van Dijk establishes himself as by far the greatest centre-half in the game. He’s played three games in England’s second tier this season, losing to Fulham and QPR while drawing with Derby.
Now, Huddersfield have sacked their head coach, giving the unpopular Jan Siewert the boot on Friday night.
So even the most hard-nosed Huddersfield fan would forgive Kongolo for wondering whether he should have forced through a move to Aston Villa over the summer instead.
The Mirror (19 June, page 48) claimed that Villa were keen to sign the £25 million-rated Dutchman before turning their attention to the far more affordable Bjorn Engels and Ezri Konsa.
And while Villa have lost both of their games since promotion, at least they’re a Premier League team right now. That certainly can’t be said of Huddersfield.
Wolves, Portsmouth and Blackpool have all suffered the dreaded ‘double relegation’ since the turn of the century. And while that probably won’t happen to The Terriers, the fact that we’re even thinking about League One football sums up how far Kongolo has fallen.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
