Huddersfield Town have reportedly agreed a deal for a free agent forward, following his release from Ipswich Town after they achieved promotion from the Championship.
The Terriers have been in the market for a new striker this summer, and were reported to be interested in former Lincoln City loanee Joe Taylor on loan. However, as the window progressed it became clear that there was a chance the player may not leave parent club Luton Town at all.
The Imps opted to abandon the chase, unwilling to risk missing out on a player completely, according to director of football Jez George on BBC Radio Lincolnshire. Huddersfield continued their chase, and the player travelled to the club ready to sign the deal but was recalled after a change of heart from Luton.
This left the club still needing a striker as the deadline approached. After the window closed, the club could only sign free agents, with limited options available on the market. However, according to Pete O’Rourke, they are set to swoop for former Ipswich Town striker Freddie Ladapo, who had been linked to Colchester United in the summer.
Right decision to continue to chase Joe Taylor’s signiture?
The situation surrounding the attacker had been unknown through much of the window. The natural progression in his career would have been to join a Championship club on loan for the season, having impressed in League One and League Two, but after Luton’s relegation it became unclear what they would consider. There were question marks over whether he was ready to take part in the full team squad, so eventually a League One loan once again became a possibility.
It is perfectly well in hindsight saying it was wrong to chase the player to such an extent, and the club should have gone in the direction of Lincoln City’s approach. However, had they been able to sign him (which he was in the building) he could have been a game changer for the promotion hopefuls. The mistake comes in putting all their eggs in one basket, there should have been a clear back up option that they were working on, as Lincoln did with Bailey Cadamarteri. Especially as that specific player has links to Hudderfield through his father.
Can Ladapo fill the gap at Huddersfield Town?
Ladapo has had a mixed career, he has been on the books of a large amount of clubs. He has scored over 10 goals on four occasions in his career, with arguably his most impressive coming in 2018/19 for Plymouth Argyle as he recorded 18 goals in 45 appearances. To date he has scored 95 career goals in 333 appearances, which is a goal every 3.5 games. He is not the most prolific of goal scorers, but coming in as a free agent to fill a gap mid-way through the season after the window shuts, could prove to be a solid addition for the League One side.