Huddersfield Town is in position to immediately return to the second division of English football following their relegation from the Championship at the conclusion of the 2023–24 season.
Despite having several games left that could be crucial in reducing the gap on the automatic promotion spots, Michael Duff’s Terriers team is now in fourth place in League One.
But whether or not they earn promotion depends on the January transfer window, and Duff may have a busy month at The John Smith’s Stadium as he attempts to add players to his roster.
As exclusively disclosed by Football League World, Huddersfield and their League One rivals Wrexham are both keen to sign Plymouth Argyle’s Ryan Hardie this month, and a signing of that quality may well pull Huddersfield over the line in the race for promotion.
Ryan Hardie move could unlock promotion for Huddersfield Town
In a move that would severely hurt Plymouth’s chances of surviving, both Huddersfield and Wrexham are prepared to accept Hardie’s £2 million buyout offer. League One clubs rarely have the ability to acquire a key player from a Championship team.
Hardie has previously shown his abilities at the League One level, so if Huddersfield could recruit the 27-year-old, it would greatly increase their chances of promotion.
With 13 goals in 44 games during the 2022–2023 season, the former Rangers player helped Plymouth win the title and was promoted from League One in the past. If he signs with Huddersfield, you can virtually be sure he would be a consistent scorer.
Although his form hasn’t been as strong this season, it’s easy to understand why teams like Huddersfield and Wrexham are interested in the Plymouth striker, who scored 12 Championship goals in a team that only missed relegation last season.
Although £2 million is a significant sum for League One clubs to spend on a single player, Hardie would be well worth the money if he could lead Huddersfield to promotion. After a difficult few months, a new beginning away from Home Park would spark his career again.
He is a player who will contribute goals to John Smith’s Stadium, as evidenced by his 64 goals and 22 assists in 230 games for the Pilgrims. His signing could be crucial to Huddersfield’s promotion.
Ryan Hardie could solve Huddersfield Town’s striker woes
Although the Terriers have a lot of strikers on their roster, none of them have produced many goals, and this season they lack a consistent goal scorer.
They could use a goal-scoring player like Hardie, since their 36 league goals this season are 14 fewer than Wycombe Wanderers’ total.
Bojan Radulovic, Freddie Ladapo, Danny Ward, Rhys Healey, and Callum Marshall are among Duff’s striker possibilities; nevertheless, their combined league goal total of just eight this season indicates that they require a top-tier option up front this month.
Duff will be worried since Marshall, who is now on loan from West Ham, has scored six of those eight goals. Marshall is not a long-term solution, and a striker will be required regardless of the league Huddersfield plays in the following season.
| Huddersfield Town’s strikers in League One – Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | P | G | A |
| Callum Marshall | 22 | 6 | 2 |
| Bojan Radulovic | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Freddie Ladapo | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Ward | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| Rhys Healey | 6 | 1 | 0 |
In the second half of the season, Huddersfield has all the necessary components to advance and contend for automatic promotion; yet, they are lacking a good striker, which Hardie’s arrival would undoubtedly address.
Given that Wrexham and Huddersfield are vying for promotion and that Hardie is more needed by Huddersfield than by the Red Dragons, losing out on his signing would be devastating.
A hectic few weeks are ahead at The John Smith’s Stadium, but his team would have a good chance of winning promotion if Duff could persuade Hardie to transfer to Yorkshire.
