A new era is underway at Huddersfield Town following the appointment of Lee Grant as the club’s new head coach.
Huddersfield made the controversial decision to fire Michael Duff in March, despite being just outside the play-off places in League One at the time, and they had a nightmare end to the season under caretaker Jon Worthington, losing all six of their final six games on the way to a disappointing 10th-place finish.
| 2024-25 League One table | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 9 | Blackpool | 46 | 12 | 67 |
| 10 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 3 | 64 |
| 11 | Lincoln City | 46 | 8 | 61 |
| 12 | Barnsley | 46 | -4 | 61 |
Following a lengthy search for Duff’s permanent replacement, the Terriers named Grant as their new manager last month, with the 42-year-old leaving his position as an Ipswich Town coach to take on his first senior management role at the John Smith’s Stadium.
While Town owner Kevin Nagle has taken a major risk by hiring Grant despite his lack of experience, it is a gamble that could pay off for the American businessman, as optimism for the upcoming season is rising among the fans following a solid start to the summer transfer window.
Huddersfield Town set to launch ambitious Leyton Orient transfer swoop
Grant has expressed a desire to complete much of Huddersfield’s transfer work before pre-season, and he has definitely followed through on that promise during what has been a hectic start to the summer.
Following a dismal season last year, the Terriers dismissed a slew of senior players, including Ollie Turton, Matty Pearson, Tom Lees, Josh Ruffels, Jonathan Hogg, Josh Koroma, and Danny Ward, as well as winger Sorba Thomas, who was sold to Stoke City.
Town signalled their intentions early in the summer transfer window, beating off strong competition from Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle, and Hibernian to sign Preston North End midfielder Ryan Ledson, and Grant then used his Ipswich connections to sign winger Marcus Harness.
Despite receiving several “substantial” contract offers from Wycombe Wanderers, Huddersfield managed to persuade defender Joe Low, who was the subject of multiple bids from Swansea City in January, to move to the John Smith’s Stadium. They also beat fellow League One promotion hopefuls Bolton Wanderers to the signing of Lincoln City defender Sean Roughan.
The Terriers’ summer rebuild continued on Tuesday with the completion of a loan deal for Aston Villa defender Morgan Feeney, and it appears that their transfer business is far from over, with journalist Alan Nixon claiming that the West Yorkshire club is preparing to launch a stunning £2.5 million bid for Leyton Orient midfielder Ethan Galbraith.
Charlton Athletic, a newly promoted Championship team, reportedly had a £1.3 million bid for Galbraith rejected over the weekend, but Town are now preparing to present a proposal worth nearly double that amount, demonstrating the club’s clear determination in the transfer market this summer.
Striking Ethan Galbraith, Leyton Orient deal would be a huge statement from Huddersfield Town
Galbraith scored six goals and assisted eight times in 51 games for Leyton Orient last season, helping them reach the League One play-off final, and it is fair to say he was one of the top performers in the third tier.
Following his good season, Galbraith is generating major Championship transfer interest, with Sheffield United and Swansea City, in addition to Charlton, thought to be interested in the 24-year-old, so Huddersfield’s effort to outbid clubs from a higher tier is surely a daring move.
While the O’s will be hesitant to lose Galbraith, Nixon claims that they will sell the Northern Ireland international if the Terriers make an offer worth a guaranteed £3 million, and given that they reportedly paid more than that sum for Luton Town striker Joe Taylor in January, it is not impossible that Nagle will spend big again to land one of his top targets.
Birmingham City demonstrated last season that it is essentially possible to buy promotion from League One by winning the title with an EFL-record 111 points, and while Huddersfield are unlikely to spend anywhere near the £24 million the Blues were said to spend last summer, it appears that Nagle is willing to invest heavily in pursuit of a return to the second tier.
Goals were a major issue for Town in the second half of last season, so adding a player with Galbraith’s creativity would be a huge boost for Grant as he looks to solve his side’s attacking problems, and with the ability to play both right-back and midfield, he would provide useful versatility to the ex-Manchester United goalkeeper.
Huddersfield’s transfer activity has already caught the eye this summer, but signing Galbraith would take their business to the next level, and his big-money arrival would undoubtedly send a strong message to the rest of League One.
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