‘I’m proud to be back here’ - The unexpected return of Jonas Lössl
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: Twitter
Pay cuts, lack of playtime and Jordan Pickford. How goalkeeper Jonas Lössl came back to Huddersfield Town.
On 1 July 2019, Everton signed Jonas Lössl on a free transfer following his contract expiry with Huddersfield Town. Just seven months later he came back to the club on loan until the end of the season.
Few Huddersfield fans would have seen this coming, but an injury to Liverpool loan ‘keeper Kamil Grabara and a lack of minutes for Lössl at Everton meant he returned to the John Smith’s Stadium once again.
While we wait for football to come back, we look at how the move happened, how it’s gone down with Huddersfield Town fans and fans from his parent club, Everton.
Lössl’s initial farewell
In Jonas’ first spell at Huddersfield Town, he made the second-most appearances in the Premier League for the club, with only Christopher Schindler making more. Photo source: Yorkshire Live/Graham Crowther
Before Jonas Lössl’s move to Everton, his last start for The Terriers was the 1-1 home draw with Manchester United, where he picked up his second Premier League assist, punting the ball downfield for Issac Mbenza to latch onto and score. With his contract expiring in the summer, that seemed like the last chance we’d get to see Jonas in a Town shirt as Jan Siewert had decided to test out his ‘keepers, with Joel Coleman starting the following match away to Southampton.
Jonas, it appears, didn’t get on well with Jan and was very frank about it when speaking to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. He said: “[Jan] just wasn’t a match and he simply lost the squad pretty quickly in a tough period.
“I actually played under him in the first place until it was definitive that we were relegated. Then he tried someone else, while I was told that my season was over and that I shouldn’t be there anymore.
“I went into training, where I had to prepare myself for the things that came in the summer, but then all of a sudden he pulled me back because it didn’t suit him with the other goalkeeper anyway.”
As is well documented, Jan Siewert’s time at Huddersfield Town just didn’t work out, whether you ask fans or just look at the stats, one win in 19 matches speaks for itself. In the same interview, Lössl speaks about his regrets on how Town’s time in the Premier League came to an end.
“It was a very special time, which I think should have been handled in a completely different way. It wasn’t the ending that Huddersfield’s Premier League fairytale should have had.
“It was quite natural that I should move on, with my deal running out. It was on the cards, and then it was also on the cards that I wasn’t sure I could play through the whole season. I would have accepted that, but I think it was a pity the whole team was broken up.
“We achieved some things, which was great for the club, but many of the players, who had meant very, very much in the period, were thrown a bit under the bus.”
Given Jonas’ comments on that period, it’s no surprise that just 21 days after the match against Manchester United, Everton announced that Lössl would sign for the club following the expiration of his contract.
His time at Everton
Lössl has made no appearances for Everton so far. Photo source: Everton
When Lössl joined Everton, it was widely considered a good move for all parties. For Jonas, it was a chance to continue his career in the Premier League having impressed for Huddersfield, while for Everton fans they’d picked up a decent goalkeeper to challenge Jordan Pickford for the number one spot.
Speaking to Everton when he signed, Lössl himself highlighted his best attributes. He said: “I've tried a couple of things in my career and I'm at the height of my career age-wise, so I will bring in what I can. I'm comfortable playing out with my feet from the back, I'm comfortable in the area and in the box claiming crosses, so I'll come in and bring what I have.”
While it looked promising, to date Lössl has made no appearances for the Merseyside club. John Barlow, the founder of Everton fansite The Toffee Blues, feels like it’s an opportunity missed.
“When we signed Jonas I was pretty happy with it. We were actually tipped off on the signing and were one of, if not the first, to report it. I thought it would be a good signing and offer much better competition for Pickford than Maarten Stekelenburg.
“He’s not played at all besides in friendlies, I’d just base it on Pickford being the number one. I thought he would give it a good go at pushing Pickford for a number one space, especially since he hasn’t been in good form for the majority of the season. A good few fans had actually said they would have dropped Pickford and put Lössl in for a few games.”
Initially signed by Marco Silva, Lössl did not feature for the Portuguese manager but was a constant presence on the bench as back-up ‘keeper, should Pickford slip up. Then when Silva was sacked, caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson replaced him immediately with Maarten Stekelenburg.
When Carlo Ancelotti took charge of The Toffees, he suggested a rotation policy between Lössl and Stekelenburg for matchdays on the bench. So it’s fair to say his Everton career hasn’t really taken off so far. Does that mean there’s no future at Everton, after his loan finishes?
John Barlow seems to think it’s unlikely. “I can’t see him having a long term future at the club if they are willing to loan him out now. Nonetheless, whatever happens with Jonas I hope he goes on and makes the rest of his career a success.
“I won’t lie, there wasn’t really much of a big reaction from the fanbase [when he returned to Huddersfield]. People were just sort of shrugging their shoulders and like “what a waste.” A lot of Everton fans though would still probably rather have Jonas on the bench though instead of Maarten Stekelenburg.”
The return to Town
Lössl’s last game for Town before the outbreak was the 2-0 defeat to Leeds United. Photo source: Twitter
So with no appearances and Lössl desperately needing game time to make Denmark’s Euro 2020 squad, he returned to Huddersfield. Signed on the last day of the January transfer window in the late hours of the evening, it was a surprise for many Town fans. As it turned out, Jonas even took a pay cut to join Huddersfield, as well documented by Danny Cowley. Cowley said:
“We have to thank Jonas in that because Jonas has actually taken a bit of a pay cut as well to make it happen, he wanted it to happen that much. That's testament to him. I'm not sure his wife's too happy, but hey-ho.”
Joining late on in the window meant he signed after the deadline had passed for selection in the Fulham game on the 1st February, so Joel Coleman took his place between the sticks in the 3-2 defeat.
Even though Lössl didn’t play in the Fulham match, he did come down to watch the team and attend a Q&A with Phil Hodgkinson. Held at The Half Moon in Putney prior to kickoff, it was organised by Southern Terriers, supporters’ group for Huddersfield Town fans in the south of England.
Lössl celebrates with other Town players after the win against Charlton. Photo Source: Twitter
Bob Farrell, who helps run Southern Terriers, spoke to And He Takes That Chance at the time about Jonas’ surprise appearance at the event. He said: “I am really happy to have him back at the club, he’s a very experienced goalkeeper and will do very well for us.
“His love for Huddersfield Town and its fans was evident for all to see. It was his birthday… many [people] had their photos with him. He’s a very nice approachable guy.
“As far as I’m aware Lössl didn’t burn any bridges when he left for Everton despite what was rumoured on social media. I am sure he wouldn’t have been welcomed back at the club if that was the case.”
Lössl came straight back into the side for the 2-0 home win against QPR. It was a composed performance and he received a great reception from The Terriers. After the game, he said: “I can feel the change here. This team has leaders, good people and the right team spirit. I’m proud to be back here as part of this team.”
After that he was ever-present in goal for Town, starting in the following six games including the 2-0 defeat to Leeds, the last match before the league was suspended. In all of Lössl’s seven starts, he’s recorded two clean sheets and helped the club gain 10 points from a possible 21, in what has been a good patch of the season for Huddersfield. Leaving them 18th in the table, three points clear of the relegation places.
While it’s worth mentioning that other signings such as Richard Stearman, Emile Smith Rowe and Chris Willock have contributed to the upturn in form, Lössl has played his part.
The future for Jonas
According to Liverpool Echo’s Everton reporter Phil Kirkbride, Lössl will be going back to Everton ahead of the start of the 2020-21 season. Photo source: Twitter
Will we see Jonas back in a Town shirt again? Following the EFL’s announcement that the Championship will return on the weekend of 20th June, and with his loan deal set to expire just ten days later, it’s uncertain whether his loan with Town will be extended. Danny Cowley has revealed he has had positive talks with Everton but nothing has been officially confirmed yet.
Whatever the outcome, Town’s goalkeeping options need to be decided quickly. Ryan Schofield is back from his spell at Livingston; Ben Hamer’s loan at Derby is coming to an end, and Joel Coleman and Kamil Grabara’s contracts are set to expire. So, where does this leave Lössl?
Speaking to Yorkshire Live before the COVID-19 outbreak halted all football, Chief Executive Mark Devlin admitted Jonas would not stay at the club past his contract. He said: "We love having Jonas here and it's great to have him here - he's a great character… But, being really honest about it, it is hugely unlikely we would be able to afford to keep Jonas past the end of the season."
With the three-month break affecting all clubs’ finances too, any slim hopes of Jonas coming back to Huddersfield permanently look over. What is definite is that he’s going to return to Everton for the next season. According to Liverpool Echo’s Everton reporter, Phil Kirkbride, Lössl will be going back to Everton ahead of next season to again challenge goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for the number one spot.
With Euro 2020 moved to next summer too, it gives Jonas a chance to show what he’s made of and make the Denmark squad. Maarten Stekelenburg’s contract expires at the end of this season and with Pickford in bad form before football was suspended, perhaps the Danish ‘keeper has another chance to kickstart his Everton career.
Whatever the future holds for Jonas Lössl, he came to the rescue for Huddersfield Town when they were in short supply of goalkeepers. Although his second spell at the club may not end how many Terrier fans would like, we wish him all the best for the future and will never forget that save against Chelsea to retain Town’s Premier League status. Tak og alt det bedste, Jonas.
What do you make of Jonas Lössl’s second spell at the club? Let us know in the comments.
