"We missed out" - Huddersfield Town demand levelled at Kevin Nagle | OneFootball

The Terriers' fan pundit believes that their chiefs need to spend a decent fee on a proven goalscorer in January to win fans back over

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Huddersfield Town's owners have been urged to spend big on a proven League One striker in the January window in order to win fans over and help Michael Duff as he aims for promotion back to the second-tier.

The Terriers have had a tough start to life back in the third-tier following relegation from the Championship last season, with five wins and five losses from their opening 10 league games, meaning they currently sit in ninth place.

Duff oversaw numerous incomings and outgoings in the summer window, with transfer fees spent on the likes of Antony Evans and Lasse Sorensen, but no money went on his strike force, as Freddie Ladapo joined following the termination of his Ipswich Town contract, and Callum Marshall arrived on loan from Wolves.

Huddersfield chiefs told to splash out on a striker in January

Duff's side have netted 14 times in the league so far, with just one of those goals coming from out-and-out strikers, as Josh Koroma has been deployed up-front alongside Marshall, rather than out wide, and both have been preferred from the off ahead of Ladapo, Rhys Healey, Bojan Radulovic or Danny Ward.

It is clear that Huddersfield need different options in the final third if they wish to challenge for an immediate promotion back to the Championship this term, with most of their frontmen currently failing to deliver.

Terriers fan pundit, Graeme Rayner, has urged Kevin Nagle to spend big on a proven third-tier scorer in the next transfer window, after we asked him for one demand he has of the club's owners.

“One demand of the club's owners? Buy a striker in January,” Graeme told Football League World.

“Go out early in the window and buy a striker that is a proven goalscorer.

“Go out, spend a bit of brass, put your money where your mouth is, and that will win the fans over, I think, if we went out and spent two or three million quid on a striker.”

Huddersfield need a new-look frontline

While ninth-place as it stands is not the end of the world for the Terriers after a turbulent 2023/24 season and tough summer window in which they lost numerous key players, and they are just one point off the play-off places, they very clearly have work to do to make up the ground on the likes of Birmingham City, Wrexham and Mansfield Town.

Michael Duff's current depth in attack is a conundrum that was not properly addressed in the summer, as it is arguably too well-stocked with players that should be quality at League One level, but have massively underperformed at the John Smith's Stadium as yet.

Rhys Healey and Bojan Radulovic each joined the Terriers for six-figure fees in the last January window from Finnish side HJK Helsinki and Watford respectively, and neither failed to hit the heights as they were relegated from the second-tier, with a combined four league goals in 22 appearances, so it was somewhat of a surprise to not see one of them leave in the summer.

33-year-old Danny Ward, meanwhile, has been with the club for over four years now, and has hit eight league goals in the last two seasons, so is unlikely to be utilised consistently by Duff anymore, especially with his contract up at the end of the campaign.

To add both Ladapo and Marshall to that trio this summer, who are each at different stages in their careers but are both gambles in terms of how effective they are going to be in front of goal, seemed very shortsighted, and the fact that Josh Koroma has managed to start over most of his counterparts despite being a left-winger by trade should speak to how Duff views his attacking options right now.

It may be obvious that Huddersfield need a striker to provide that extra firepower to push them up the league table, but they need to get their current crop of attackers in order before any incomings can be sanctioned in January.