Huddersfield Town are in talks to sign former Stoke City and Sunderland defender Lynden Gooch, Football League World has exclusively been informed.
The Terriers have made a busy start to their summer recruitment, allowing fans to quickly put last season’s heartbreak behind them and look forward to what is intended to be a promotion-winning 25/26 season.
This summer, the John Smith’s Stadium has welcomed eight new players, including Ryan Ledson, Sean Roughan, Owen Goodman, and Jack Whatmough.
Huddersfield Town in talks to sign Lynden Gooch
Terriers manager Lee Grant may also be on the verge of bringing in his newest new acquisition.
That’s because Football League World has exclusively learned that Huddersfield Town are in talks to sign Lynden Gooch, a former Stoke City and Sunderland defender.
The 29-year-old became a free agent at the end of June after being one of several Potters players let go after their contracts expired.
Gooch joined Stoke in the summer of 2023, and he has made over 50 appearances for the team over the last two seasons, scoring twice and contributing two assists.
| Gooch’s Stoke City career stats (all comps) – per FotMob | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 24/25 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| 23/24 | 30 | 2 | 0 |
Prior to joining the Potteries, the former USA international spent the better part of a decade in Sunderland’s first team, having progressed through the club’s academy system.
Throughout his career at The Stadium of Light, he made over 240 appearances for the Black Cats, representing the club in the Premier League, Championship, and League One.
The versatile defender was a significant member of Sunderland’s League One promotion-winning squad in 21/22, helping them overcome Wycombe Wanderers in the play-off final that year, in which he played the entire 90 minutes.
Gooch could be an excellent signing for Huddersfield Town
Free agent signings are typically low-risk, high-reward deals, and this one has that vibe as well.
Gooch is a highly experienced EFL campaigner, and critically for Huddersfield Town, he has made more appearances in League One than any other tier – 155.
The California native is also a versatile player who can play full-back, wing-back, or winger down either flank.
Having those types of players in your dressing room and available to you as a manager is always important, especially during the arduous EFL season, when exhaustion, injuries, and suspensions take their toll over the course of 46 league games.
At 29, and not turning 30 until late December, Gooch is still in the prime of his career, and with 49 Championship appearances for Stoke City over the last two seasons, he might be a great signing for a League One team looking to get promoted.
Not only might he immediately become a very classy player in the third tier, but he’s demonstrated that if Huddersfield is promoted back to the second tier, he’s a guy Grant could trust to take with him to that level.
As a result, this might be yet another outstanding commercial decision by the Terriers in what is already shaping up to be a very successful summer of recruitment.
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