Stoke City’s January transfer raid could be advantageous for Huddersfield Town.
But even with that summer action, Huddersfield will probably need to be busy again during the January transfer window, and a move for Andre Vidigal, an out-of-favor Stoke City winger, would make sense for everyone..
Kevin Nagle, the chairman and owner of Huddersfield, supported rookie manager Lee Grant with a number of new hires in an effort to completely restructure the team and move away from Michael Duff’s more defensive and reactive style of play from the previous season. The tactical focus has been on playing possession-based football, but Huddersfield has frequently been frustrated, returning from the November international break as low as tenth in the third division.
However, with two games remaining against the Imps, the Terriers are only six points behind second-place Lincoln City and four points outside of the top six and the play-off spots. Huddersfield hasn’t performed well, but they’re not far away. If Grant is to maintain the club’s support, a few more arrivals in the winter might start to show a significant and timely improvement, and Vidigal is a move they should be considering. Under Michael Duff’s leadership, the team was organised to play in a 3-5-2 formation, and even though the players have changed, the current group once more appears better suited to that configuration.
Despite Freddie Ladapo’s departure, they still have five first-team forwards, five center-backs, a lot of box-to-box midfielders, and no true “number ten.” Because of this, it has been somewhat perplexing for Grant to adhere to his 4-2-3-1 system while using star player Alfie May in the offensive midfield position. That is one issue that needs to be resolved, but Huddersfield’s lack of depth on the wings and true pace throughout the park is the other.
On paper, Marcus Harness was an impressive addition, and he is undoubtedly someone of good pedigree to play on either flank. However, Huddersfield relies on the width provided by versatile forward Zepiqueno Redmond and loanee Will Alves, in addition to playing wing-backs like Ruben Roosken and Mickel Miller higher than they perhaps should. Given that they have only created 29 significant opportunities, the 15th most in the division, according to FotMob, Huddersfield has demonstrated a desire to play possession football with the sixth most accurate passes per game, but without much push and incision in the final third.
Despite their possession of the ball, they are in the bottom half of the league chart for accurate crosses per game, which may best illustrate their poor wing-play. Despite having a lot of passes and the ball, Huddersfield is ranked 11th for touches in the opposition box, which is indicative of a lack of true cohesion in the final third. One theory for this is the lack of wide men and a bit of pace to beat a player to get into the box. This is especially true for a team of their size in League One with aspirations for the title that they do and should have had in the preseason.
Andre Vidigal, a winger for Stoke City, might be a perfect fit for Town, and the flank should be a top priority for any incoming business during the January transfer window. Andre Vidigal, who joined Stoke from Portuguese team Maritimo in the summer of 2023, has shown flashes of true quality for the Potters with six goals from 39 games. In isolation, this is a respectable result for a player adjusting to a new league and culture in the competitive second division.
Before injuries and poor form reduced him to a bit-part player in the 2024–25 season, the former Portugal youth international, who is now capped by Angola at the senior level, started with six in 29 appearances in the 2023–24 season. Vidigal has become so unpopular at the Bet365 Stadium that he hasn’t received a squad number from Stoke this season, despite Mark Robins building a much more successful Stoke team that is vying for promotion to the Premier League with a plethora of new additions in the final third, including Sorba Thomas, Divin Mubama, and Jamie Donley, in addition to players like Bae Jun-ho and Million Manhoef.
Regular minutes may be necessary for a player of his calibre, a direct winger with a hint of the maverick, to reach his peak form and rhythm, but that hasn’t happened at Stoke and won’t. He would benefit from dropping down a division to find some of that flow at a naturally simpler level, which would be ideal for Huddersfield as they try to make a difference in the final third.
The idea of a game-breaking goal in the last third is becoming more common at all levels due to the modern game’s emphasis on control and winning duels. This has been the case for some of the top players in League One, like Rubin Colwill at Cardiff City and Amario Cozier-Duberry at Bolton Wanderers. Unquestionably, these two players use a system-based approach, but they also have a more generous licence than any of their West Yorkshire counterparts to far.
With 0.9 successful dribbles per game during the 2023–24 season, Andre Vidigal was Stoke’s highest scorer in the league. On the other hand, Lasse Sorensen and Ruben Roosken, who are better suited for a right wing-back position, are the only two Huddersfield players who have completed more successful dribbles per game this season. Grant needs time to execute a change in style at Town, but his style of play also calls for a little more creativity and unrestricted thought in the latter third, which Vidigal may offer.
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