Jayson Leutwiler: “He’s an all rounder, nothing spectacular and nothing crazy”
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: HTAFC
The experienced goalkeeper joined on Deadline Day, but what can he bring to The Terriers? We chat to a fan from his former club to find out more.
Much has been made of the Deadline Day for Huddersfield in their failed attempts to bring in a striker but a player did arrive on the last day of the window, free agent Jayson Leutwiler. The 31-year-old goalkeeper, who was a free agent joins the club after a successful trial period with The Terriers and has signed a deal until the end of the season.
The Canadian international, who has over 300 senior appearances to his name will provide experienced cover to young goalkeeper Ryan Schofield. Having played for FC Basel, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers, Shrewsbury Town and most recently Fleetwood Town, who he left in January after his contract expired, Leutwiler looks like a useful addition to the squad.
With his return now finalised, we look at what the club and player has said and caught up with Fleetwood fan channel, Cods Chat, to find out what Leutwiler can add to the squad.
Manager Carlos Corberán said: “When you can add a player that has the habits of playing that will help. All the 'keepers need to be ready to be in the first XI.” Photo source: Instagram
What the club said
Leutwiler joined as the sixth signing in the January transfer window for Huddersfield Town and it seems like manager Carlos Corberán is pleased with the acquisition. Speaking in his pre-match press conference before the Luton game, he said:
“It was always important for us to have three 'keepers. Jayson Leutwiler played in League 1 earlier this season. When you can add a player that has the habits of playing that will help. All the 'keepers need to be ready to be in the first XI."
Leigh Bromby’s comments about the signing highlighted that it was to cover the experience they were missing after Ben Hamer departed for Swansea earlier in January. He said:
“With Ben Hamer departing earlier this month, we had a desire to add a third senior goalkeeper to the group to ensure we have the right level of competition and depth between now and the end of the season.
“Jayson arrives at the Club with good experience and having played regularly in League 1 during the first half of the season. It’s his job to show us what he can do every day and to push Ryan Schofield, the current incumbent of the number one shirt.”
With Leutwiler going straight into the squad on the bench against Luton, it appears that he may be the second choice goalkeeper for Huddersfield for the rest of the campaign. With Schofield clearly the number one, it appears Leutwiler is unlikely to play unless Schofield suffers a terrible loss of form or is ruled out with injury. The positive is that with the experience Leutwiler has, should he be called upon, he could prove to be a reliable support to the team.
In an interview with the club, Leutwiler said: “Joel and Ryan being quite young I think they need somebody that’s quite experienced who can help guide them; that’s what the role is. I want to come here and push them both on..” Photo source: HTAFC
What the player said
Jayson Leutwiler clearly understands the job he has been asked to do between now and the end of the season. Speaking in his first interview on Huddersfield’s official YouTube channel. He said:
“The quality is very high and I’m grateful to be able to work with some great ‘keepers and to push each other. I can use my experience with things that I see, with things they haven’t lived yet or with little details that can help them. If they want to take it then happy days.
“I want to tell people what I think, so if I think they could’ve done better with something, I will tell them. The same in the opposite way, I love to take critics as it makes me better. Here we have a group that likes to learn, this is a perfect fit for me.
“Joel and Ryan being quite young I think they need somebody that’s quite experienced who can help guide them; that’s what the role is. I want to come here and push them both on.”
With Ryan Schofield still only 21 years old, this is still a young age for a player to break through into the first team, particularly in the position of a goalkeeper who tends to play for longer and become better as they get older. Even if Leutwiler doesn’t get a match for The Terriers, having an experienced head training with Schofield can only help the young ‘keeper learn and improve.
Leutwiler made 18 appearances for Fleetwood Town this season before leaving as a free agent in January. Photo source: Fleetwood Town
What fans have said
Having been most recently on the books at Fleetwood, we wanted to get a further understanding of The Terriers’ latest recruit. So, we spoke to Ryan Lea, from Fleetwood fan channel Cods Chat, to learn more about Jayson’s time at the club.
“It’s slightly surprising but not unusual for a goalkeeper to make a step up. He’s an all rounder, nothing spectacular and nothing crazy. He commanded his box well and collected crosses, something we’d lacked in previous goalkeepers.
“His time at Fleetwood was short and sweet. He came in to cover injuries and did the job professionally, I’d have kept him to be honest. The issue we had is our number one last season wasn’t fancied by Barton, we brought in Joel Coleman in summer and he did his achilles so Barton wanted cover. According to the recent Robbie Fowler podcast, Barton wanted to keep him at the club but our chairman didn’t.
“He didn’t make any glaring errors at Fleetwood so I don’t see why he couldn’t make an immediate impact with Huddersfield. He was solid and didn’t really put a foot wrong during his short time at the club. He was only on £500pw and Joey Barton offered to keep him on a permanent and pay his wages himself. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see him in action.
Leutwiler is a Canadian international and made his debut as a half-time substitute against South Korea on 11 November 2016. Photo source: Instagram
Summary
The decision to let Ben Hamer go made sense after Ryan Schofield had displaced Hamer as number one. Hamer was probably one of the higher wage earners at the club and if he’s going to spend time on the bench, particularly in a COVID-hit season where there are no gate receipts for clubs to let a second choice goalkeeper leave. However, it’s unlikely Leutwiler will play any games for Huddersfield between now and the end of the season unless Schofield picks up an injury.
What you could argue is that shows how little faith the club has in Manchester United loanee Joel Pereira, who has only started one league game, the 4-3 defeat to Stoke earlier in the season. The need to bring in another goalkeeper in this window shows that unfortunately, Town got it wrong with Pereira, particularly as Leutwiler came straight into the squad as Huddersfield’s goalkeeper on the bench against Luton Town.
It’s not a glamorous signing by any means but it makes sense to have an experienced goalkeeper to support Schofield and coming from League 1, will be on lower wages than Hamer was. From the reports we’ve seen, it seems like he’s a professional player and that could prove useful to have in and around the side and they might even extend it beyond his contract this season, who knows? If Leutwiler does get a game for Town, on paper, he seems more than capable to be a stopgap for Schofield.
How do you think Jayson Leutwiler will do at Town? Let us know in the comments.
