Huddersfield Town urged against Freddie Ladapo repeat to replace Michal Helik
After their disastrous attempt to address their striker problems earlier in the season by signing Freddie Ladapo, Huddersfield Town has been advised to carefully weigh their alternatives at centre-back this month before pursuing a transfer approach if they want to replace Michal Helik.
After struggling in the early going of their return to the third division, Michael Duff’s team has settled in over the past few months and is currently sitting in fourth position in League One, six points behind second-place Wycombe Wanderers, with one game remaining.
| League One table (as of 20/01) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Team | Games played | Goal difference | Points |
| 1. | Birmingham City | 24 | +25 | 56 |
| 2. | Wycombe Wanderers | 26 | +24 | 54 |
| 3. | Wrexham | 26 | +18 | 51 |
| 4. | Huddersfield Town | 25 | +18 | 48 |
| 5. | Barnsley | 26 | +4 | 42 |
| 6. | Stockport County | 26 | +12 | 41 |
As they attempt to return to the Championship at the first attempt, the Terriers have been active in the January transfer window thus far, adding two important attacking players: Dion Charles from fellow third-tier team Bolton Wanderers and Joe Taylor from Luton Town.
But Huddersfield also lost a vital member of their defence when Michal Helik, a Polish international centre-back, was signed by Oxford United last week after just over two years at John Smith’s Stadium. Duff may now look to add reinforcements to his backline in the upcoming weeks.
Huddersfield urged against quick fix Michal Helik replacement like Freddie Ladapo
It will be painful for Duff to lose him in the middle of a promotion push, but he still has Matty Pearson, Radinio Balker, Tom Lees, and Nigel Lonwijk in central defence, and Brodie Spencer has also played in a back-three this season, so he has plenty of choices.
The club should not rush into signing a player just because they are available and experienced at the level, as they did with striker Freddie Ladapo when he was brought in in September, according to our Terriers fan pundit, Graham Rayner. As a result, it is unclear if Huddersfield will look to sign a new centre-back in the upcoming weeks.
Since we recently sold Michal Helik, we might require—and some believe we do—center-half cover. We do have possibilities in that area, so that’s debatable,” Grahame told FLW.
“Freddie Ladapo was a free agent that we signed because we desperately needed a striker.” Although the move hasn’t really worked out, I don’t think it’s rude to admit that.
“What we should be doing is that, with two weeks remaining in the window, if we are going to hire someone, it must be someone we have thoroughly investigated, that we are confident will be a good fit for the role, and that can truly make a positive contribution.”
Freddie Ladapo has had a tough time so far at Huddersfield
Ladapo is yet to score for the Terriers in the league, and has netted only once in all competitions so far this year, with
his sole strike coming against Barnsley in the group round of the EFL Trophy in October.
His acquisition appeared risky at the time, as Huddersfield sought to bolster their front line, which included Callum
Marshall, a West Ham loanee, and veteran attackers Rhys Healey, Bojan Radulovic, and Danny Ward, who were all
having form issues.
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