Huddersfield Town are in the midst of constructing something of a superteam for Lee Grant in his first managerial job.
The former Manchester United and Stoke City goalkeeper is being given nearly every tool he needs to succeed in his first season in the Terriers’ dugout, or any technical area for that matter.
Of the seven acquisitions made this summer, the most recent, Owen Goodman, came on loan from Crystal Palace following a great season with AFC Wimbledon, which led to promotion via the play-offs. Football League World originally reported on their interest in the teenage shot-stopper.
Huddersfield striker identified as potential “key” for Lee Grant
Huddersfield already had a very quality team last season; they simply underperformed. They went to great lengths in the January transfer window to remedy their front-line concerns, signing Joe Taylor from Luton Town and Dion Charles from Bolton Wanderers.
The latter, a proven goalscorer in the third tier, struggled to make an impact at the John Smith’s Stadium after making his £750,000 move. If Grant can get him firing, Don Goodman believes that Town will have a seriously good forward on their hands.
The Sky Sports pundit exclusively told FLW: “Dion Charles is pretty proven at League One level. Last season, obviously, was disappointing and when he arrived at Huddersfield, I think there was great expectation, but he wasn’t able to score in 18 League One games for them.
“And as the games progress, there’s no doubt that you’ll see a little bit of confidence grow. So, if Lee Grant can recapture Dion Charles’ form from the previous two seasons, when he scored over 20 goals for Bolton, Huddersfield will be in business.
“So it’s about unlocking that key and instilling confidence back into Dion Charles, because there’s no doubt about it, there’s a striker that is more than capable of scoring quite a lot of goals in a decent team in League One, and that’s what I feel Town are going to be.”
Lee Grant can make or break Dion Charles’ Huddersfield career
We know Grant has a plethora of talented League One players to choose from. The concern surrounding the club and him is how he will make the best use of his many weapons.
Because he has no management or coaching experience, the specifics of how he intends to build up his Huddersfield teams are unknown, however he is likely to be classified as a modern, high-pressing or possession-based manager.
Whichever way Grant leans, it might have a significant impact on Charles’ production. He thrived in most of his seasons under Ian Evatt at Bolton, frequently with a number of teammates around by, but he wasn’t able to conjure up much in a system that didn’t play to his talents as much.
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