23/24 Squad building - The middle of the park
(Image: Hoggwarts lake)
Matt Shaw, Founder.
Twitter: @TTCMatt
Don’t look at me like that! I told you; it takes me ages to write these articles. In truth, my focus has been elsewhere over the last week, but for good reason! Let me take you back to my starting point in the goalkeeper’s episode; the listeners survey. Within the listeners survey there were multiple requests (two, but I like to make it sound emphatic) for more ex-player interviews. After Wembley last year, there wasn’t much time between the end of the season and start of the new one, so we chose to pause the Cult Heroes Series. Well, there’s good news and bad news on that front. I’d targeted 3 former players to interview this summer, the bad news is that two have been hard to pin down, but the good news is that one of them has been interviewed and the episode will be out soon! In the meantime, let’s get back to brass taxes, our midfield… Or lack of it.
Last year I wrote about “The Great Hoggcession”:
If Town are to bring in some money this summer, then I would suggest that some is set aside to try and find the Hoggcessor
to the Hoggmaster general, a player to come in and challenge the great man, offer competition and eventually a player who
will take the DM slot when Hoggy decides he’d like to spend more time at Hoggwarts lake OR if Carlos sees Hogg’s future in
that Hoggscherano role of spare centre back. It’s sad to think of but with Hoggy turning 34 this coming season it would
be wise of the club to think about succession planning.
Initially I felt that it was a mistake to not bring in someone to push Hoggy for that no6 role. My feelings strengthened a bit when Hoggy had a dip in form and struggled with injury mid-way through last season. However, as the season has developed, other players have stepped into that role and on occasion performed relatively well. Neil Warnock sprung a surprise by using Rarmani Edmonds-Green as a shield in front of the backline and he put in several capable performances whilst David Kasumu who may have originally being a replacement for Lewis O’Brien posted good defensive figures in that no6 position, so perhaps the Hoggcessor is already in the building…
The systems of Carlos Corberan Neil Warnock
Well, call me Farooq cos DAMN! When looking at Town’s midfield on the matrix above there is a serious lack of experience outside of Jonathan Hogg. Whether you are a fan of Duane Holmes or not, he was Town’s only midfielder that you could class as being in his peak years, plus he has over 300 games under his belt. Etienne Camara was also a disappointing departure. Camara in my view has immense talent, that if recognised will see him playing regular top flight football for most of his career. Town were unfortunately unable to tie the France u20 international down to a new contract and found themselves in an unwinnable game against Camara’s agent and in the end did well to get a healthy 7 figure fee.
Yes, now if six turned out to be nine
I don't mind, I don't mind
If all the hippies cut off all their hair
I don't care, I don't care, dig
'Cause I got my own world to live through and uh
And I ain't gonna copy you
Modern terminology, eh? A 6 should be a 4 and a 10 should be an 8 and a 9 was true and never false. A 6 is never a 9 but I absolutely love Jimi Hendrix so I was always going to shoe horn him into one of my articles somewhere.
Ok, the reason for the song interlude is to discuss the role of the Warnock engine room. Warnock’s favoured formations always tend to have 3 central midfielders in them, whether that’s his 433 or his 352. The roles are also very familiar in both systems allowing the pieces to move around the midfield, but the middle of the park itself is not negotiable. Warnock tends to pick a number 6 (which is really a 4 in old money) who screens the backline, picking up 2nd balls and keeping it simple. Next to the 6 is a sort of 6/8 hybrid who plays as an all-action midfielder expected to sit deeper, but win the ball, press and pass to players higher up the pitch. The third central midfielder usually has more license to move forward and support the attack, here a number 8 is expected to arrive late to support the striker(s). Whilst the midfield in a 433/352 doesn’t really alter, Warnock has on occasion pushed the attacking midfielder higher to create a 4411/442 where the midfielder will play as a 10 and be pushed up alongside a striker to press the defensive line and offer support to a main striker. Let’s take a look at who Town have available and where they may fit in to the system.
OUTS
Tino Anjorin - Returned to parent club.
Matty Daly - Released.
Ernaldo Krasniqi - Released.
Hakeem Sandah - Released.
Sonny Whittingham - Released.
Donay O’Brien-Brady - Released.
Etienne Camara - Undisclosed, Udinese.
Duane Holmes - Undisclosed, Preston North End.
INS
None.
Jonathan Hogg
Age: 34
Contract: Expiring 2024
Verdict: Work on replacements.
I hate to say it but, The Hoggwarts Express is heading towards its final destination. I know, you don’t want to read it, I don’t want to write it! But next season Hoggy will be 35 and his contract expires. Hoggy may play on after that or he may decide to hang up his boots and spend more time at Hoggwarts Lake, who knows? Hoggy is currently 14th on the list of all time Huddersfield Town appearances, he’s got John Coddington in his sights, and it would take 20 appearances to surpass the centre back. A further 8 would then see him usurp Les Massie into 12th, but Hoggy would need to make 44 appearances to work his way into our all-time top 10.
The club will no doubt take their time on Hogg’s contract situation. If Hoggy has an American summer then the club may offer one last final deal, but the time has now come to really think about who he can groom as his Hoggcessor.
David Kasumu
Age: 23
Contract: Expiring 2025 (1 year option)
Verdict: Continued improvement.
My ex boss is an MK Dons fan (they do exist apparently, although they shouldn’t…) and he told me that a typical Kasumu game involves, a yellow card, a couple of big challenges and an injury, we got to shout BINGO on his debut against Burnley. Kasumu had an interesting start to life as a Terrier; disciplinary issues and injury made it stop start early last season, but towards the end we saw a player grow into the man that could replace Jonathan Hogg. Kasumu’s ability to harry and press mixed with his 2nd ball recoveries shows him to be an ideal candidate for the no6 role, which Hogg made his own under David Wagner tutelage. Neil Warnock noticed that Kasumu’s energy would be key in the run in and deployed him across midfield and often wide right to assist Matty Pearson in defensive duties. Once Kasumu gets more games, experience and nouse under his belt then the no6 position will be his by rights.
Scott High
Age: 22
Contract: Expiring 2025 (1 year option)
Verdict: Is it time to move on?
I know that a lot of Town fans don’t ‘get’ Scott High, but I do. High is a technically sound player who has a lot of energy, presses well but lacks in physicality which means that he struggles to impose himself on the opposition for decent periods of time. I think there is potential in High, but I'm not sure he’ll realise it here under Neil Warnock who does prefer more physical players. Despite making 81 appearances, High has only completed 90 minutes on 23 occasions and when a player lacks physicality, they often need to go out and play games to learn how to cope with it. High will be 23 next season, so he either needs to find a loan whereby he’ll be able to make 30+ starts, finishing the majority, or potentially move permanently down the leagues and look to come back up to this level when he has more experience under his belt.
Jack Rudoni
Age: 22
Contract: Expiring 2026 (1 year option)
Verdict: Carry on improving.
I’ll admit, I got a little frustrated with Jack Rudoni at times during the first half of last season. He was undoubtedly a player with good potential and ability, but his tendency to overplay in attacking areas used to leave me a little disappointed. However, I had to remind myself that it was a tough period for the team and no doubt a tough period for this young, likeable Londoner coming up to play permanently away from his friends and family for the first time. Come the 2nd half of the season we saw Rudoni improve and become a key member of the side. Neil Warnock seemed to have drilled more simplicity into Rudoni’s game and we now see a very well rounded, creative footballer who makes good, sharp decisions and whom with this level of upward trajectory could and should be one of the league’s outstanding young players next season. Here’s hoping!
Josh Austerfield
Age: 21
Contract: Expiring 2026
Verdict: Pre-season decision. Keep or loan?
Last summer Austerfield was given a new 4-year contract which is evidence of the large belief in his abilities that those down at the MOHPC have in him. Following on from his new deal, Austerfield headed back to Harrogate for the first half of the season where he played 23 times before Town decided to move him up to League 1 with Morecambe where he played a further 14 times, starting the last 6 where ‘The Shrimps’ won 3 but ultimately lost their battle with relegation. Is it too soon for Austerfield to be thrust into Town’s Championship squad? Maybe. Another loan to a League 1 club for the first half of the season would in truth serve Austerfield well, but Town’s lack of midfield depth may put a pause in that and Austerfield may be kept around for the first part of the season.
Ben Midgley
Age: 20
Contract: Expiring 2024
Verdict: Loan move.
Having a local lad who plays for the team is good, but one who also supports the club passionately as well is a great thing. I genuinely hope Ben Midgley breaks through with Town and nails down a spot in the midfield for years to come. But first, maybe a loan lower down the pyramid to get some games under his belt and then let’s review later in the season. Good luck, Ben.
Brahima Diarra
Age: 20
Contract: Expiring 2024
Verdict: New contract ASAP.
Then I saw his face, and he’s a Brahima! I know, I used that line last year and nobody laughed. I’ll stop.
Brahima Diarra caused some ripples last season with his swashbuckling style and ability to run players ragged. The Mali u23 international was at it again in the pre-season game against Stockport and added that little coup de grace he was missing last season; end product. If Brahima Diarra becomes more consistent with what is at the end of his mazy runs then Huddersfield Town have a HELL of a player, but not for long if they don’t sort out the contract situation. Diarra needs tying down ASAP to a new deal for Town to avoid another Etienne Camara style situation. The fact it’s already got this far does send an alarm bell but let’s hope that the club have this in hand.
Michael Stone
Age: 19
Contract: Expiring 2024
Verdict: B Team minutes
Michael Stone spent the end of last season on loan at Liversedge. Another loan slightly higher up the pyramid should be the aim for next year interspersed with some B Team minutes.
Tom Iorpenda
Age: 18
Contract: Expiring 2025
Verdict: B Team minutes and loan.
Now whisper this quietly, but Town have a young midfielder with quite the potential. Iorpenda joined the club from Brighton 2 years ago and has made quite the impact down at the Oil Complex. Will he make an appearance next season? Unlikely, but you never know. B Team minutes and a good short loan should be the order of the season and should he pop up in the 9 subs for a cup game we might even catch a glimpse.
Central Midfield Verdict
It’s a common thought in football that you need 2 specialist players for each position to get the best out of the first XI players and cover any situations that arise. With Town consistently playing 3 within the engine room then ideally, we need 6 players to cover loss of form, injury, suspension etc or at least 5 with youth backup. So, let’s see if we have the right tools for the job.
The 6
Neil Warnock’s no6 is a screener. Someone who sits deep, picks up 2nd balls and helps out the central defence from crosses in open play. In years gone by this position was made for Jonathan Hogg, however we’ve seen both Carlos Corberan and Neil Warnock move Hoggy out of this role due to his (how do I say this without him wanting to twat me if he ever read it…) slowing down of pace (did I get away with that?). Carlos seemed to reinvent Hoggy as a spare centre back in a 3 and Warnock moved Hogg up to the no8 role whereby he could lead and drive the team on, so this probably isn’t the best role for him anymore. David Kasumu has posted very good defensive stats under Neil Warnock and at MK Dons when playing deep but he’s not really what you would refer to as your classic screener. A screener needs to be able to read the game and assist with some of the aerial duties - not two of Kasumu’s strongest assets but he could get there eventually. Rarmani Edmonds-Green is a very Neil Warnock no6, a converted centre back in the Paddy McNair mould who can do the defensive side and pass the ball a little bit. But what happens when REG is needed either at right back or centre back? The wildcard here is Josh Austerfield, can he do enough over pre-season to nudge his way into Neil Warnock’s thoughts? The opening is there for him, he just needs to take the chance. Alternatively, Hoggy can still do a job here if you put a David Kasumu next to him to assist in the 2nd ball wins and tracking the 3rd man runs.
The 8
The 8 in Town’s system typically plays as a ball winner quite close to the no6. The job of the 8 is to press the opposition, win the ball back and give it simple to attack minded players like Josh Koroma and Jack Rudoni or knock it back to a defender to gerrit forrad!
Town have quite a lot of options for this role. David Kasumu settled into it quite well towards the backend of last season as well as Jonathan Hogg who was able to lead the side from a slightly higher starting point. Town have other options who differ slightly; Jack Rudoni is better utilised higher up but can fit into this role as his tackling stats show from last season. Scott High is capable of the energetic pressing involved in this role but ball winning is not his strength so appears unsuited to Town’s midfield which is why I have suggested higher up in this article that maybe it’s time for Scott to move on or go out for the next 12 months as he doesn’t appear to be a Neil Warnock type player. Ben Midgley offers the energy required as well as the ability to go box-to-box but perhaps needs to build up to this level first and the same can be said for Tom Iorpenda who is also a good passer of a football. In fact, ball playing central midfielders have been a real scarcity in Town’s midfield since Aaron Mooy left in 2019.
The 8/10
Town’s options here tend to flitter from young players to out of the box suggestions. Jack Rudoni is likely to start the season in this role, but his adaptability and issues elsewhere could see him drop deeper. If Rudoni wasn’t able to play in this role then Town only really have Brahima Diarra capable. Diarra is a real firecracker as we all saw last season, but firecrackers tend to go off in short bursts and Warnock may prefer the longer game. Alternatives here are Sorba Thomas and Josh Koroma as a 10 in a 4231 system whilst Scott High has on occasion played here before, the role doesn’t really suit him. This is an area that I think Town need to strengthen to avoid being short, especially when you consider that Brahima Diarra could miss games in the New Year due to international call ups.
Transfers for the 6 role
I think it’s probably unlikely that Town strengthen here and it’s probably only me that thinks this as a weak area. However, if Town do then they are likely to look for a tall, commanding figure who reads the game well and is defensively sound. The ability to read the game usually comes with experience, so I’d be surprised if Town looked at a young Premier League loanee in this area and instead turned their heads towards the 24+ area which as you saw from the matrix higher up, Town lack.
In terms of free transfers then Steven Nzonzi is a player well known to Town Sporting Director Mark Cartwright. Cartwright helped bring Nzonzi to Stoke in 2012 before he departed for Sevilla in 2015. However, with Nzonzi playing in Qatar over the last 2 years and hitting 35 next season it might be seen as a desperate move. Grzegorz Krychowiak is also available after leaving The Middle East. Krychowiak with close to 100 caps for Poland is 33 and has spent the last few years in the Saudi league but the former WBA midfielder may still have something left in the tank. Jack Colback is also available but I’m not sure we’ve gotten over Wembley 2022 yet have we. You have? Well, I’ve not, there’s still salt aplenty here :-D.
Yes, I know the free options didn’t really whet the appetite but this might. Dan Barlaser has reportedly been made available for loan or permanent transfer by Middlesbrough and the 26-year-old may fit the bill. Barlaser might not be the defensive monster that Neil Warnock likes, but the former England u18 international tends to play at no6, screen the defence, but also has the added ability to pass the ball, take set pieces and dictate play, an ingredient that Town don’t have, he’s my pick.
The attacking 8
From looking at the squad I think Town would want more of a 10 than an 8 and potentially someone who can operate in wide areas to fill the void left by Duane Holmes who offered a good level of adaptability. Town don’t have a lot of experience in this area so could look to the free market where Bradley Dack and Tom Rogic offer compelling cases. Both players have suffered from injury problems but with players like Rudoni and Diarra to rotate with then they could be good options. Both players have shown to have good end product in the past and Town’s lack of goals across the pitch must be a concern going in to the 2022/23 season.
If Town were to look towards the loan market, then you expect it would be the younger end where there are a large group of PL2 players who could prove to be smart signings. The problem here though is that a PL club will no doubt ask for a decent loan fee and expect to see their youth product playing most weeks if available. With Rudoni and Diarra, could Town offer that guarantee? Charlie Patino and Lewis Fiorini both spent time with Blackpool last season and both started well, had a poor middle and strong finish. Patino would be the preferable one of the two although I’d tend to think of him as more of an attacking 8 than a 10 and he may be a touch too slight for a Neil Warnock side. Harvey Vale is a player that Town have been credited with a long-term interest in. Vale spent last season at Hull but struggled to get into the side, only playing 76 league minutes in 4 months, but did captain England u20’s in the u20 World Cup in May. Finally, Finn Azaz of Aston Villa spent last season on loan at Plymouth Argyle scoring 8 goals and creating a further 9 from an attacking midfield position. Having spent time watching Plymouth last season, Town boss Neil Warnock will be very aware of the abilities of the 6ft Irish u21 international.
