5 free-agents Huddersfield Town could try sign now or in the summer | OneFootball

Andre Breitenreiter has made a strong start to his career in the EFL with a win and a draw in his first two games in charge of Huddersfield Town.

The German boss took points off of their West Yorkshire rivals Leeds United at the weekend with a valiant 1-1 draw at home, despite being a man down for half of the game.

Huddersfield aren't clear of the relegation battle yet, there is still work to be done - they're only outside the bottom three because of their goals scored record, which is eight better than Stoke City's.

One thing that you can take from Breitenreiter's successful sides - like the FC Zurich team that won the Swiss Super League in the 2021/22 campaign - is that they aren't dominant on the ball, but they're very efficient in both boxes.

That's a point that Town have struggled with; their top scorer in the league this season is Michal Helik - a defender - who has scored nine goals.

These five potential signings would help address these issues in both boxes, and would be good signings, regardless of what league they are in for the 2024-25 campaign.

Devante Cole

Barnsley striker Cole - the son of former England international Andy - has been a top forward in League One for the past two seasons.

He achieved 15 goals in the previous campaign, and he's already surpassed that with 17 - Cole co-leads the league in this category, and yet he's only scored once in his last seven games.

The Tykes are looking to make a late push for the automatic promotion spots, but, should the two sides remain in their current leagues, Huddersfield could tempt him with a switch to the Terriers - they were already linked with him in the previous transfer window, as per the Sky Sports Transfer Centre (January 15, 6:46pm).

Tom Bradshaw

Much like most of his Milwall team, the Welsh forward's performances have been down in comparison to the ones he produced in the 2022-23 campaign, when the Lions nearly got into the play-offs.

That 17-goal season should be what sticks in the head of Huddersfield's recruitment team.

All of those goals came from within the box, and those strikers tend to work well in Breitenreiter's system.

Axel Tuanzebe

Tuanzebe hasn't been afforded the game time that he may have expected under Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town, and a change in scenery could do him good in the summer.

When he has had the chance to play for the Tractor Boys, the 26-year-old has been decent; he's averaged a 7.04 Sofascore rating in nine Championship games this season.

With the likes of Matty Pearson and Yuta Nakayama out of contract at the Terriers this summer (albeit the former has a one-year option), the Yorkshire side may need cover, and Tuanzebe could provide that or even be a starting figure, and it would be a move much closer to his roots of Manchester.

Marvin Ekpiteta

It was only about six years ago when Blackpool centre-back Ekpiteta was playing for East Thurrock United - a seventh tier side.

Despite these humble beginnings in football, the 28-year-old has turned himself into a top defender, and he's really found his mojo since December this season after a slow start to the campaign.

The Seasiders may not get into one of the final few play-off places that look up for grabs in League One, so Ekpiteta may be considering his options already for next season after a strong few months, and he's a robust defender who is decent on the ball (83% accurate passes per game).

Herbie Kane

That covers options in both boxes, but another area that Huddersfield could do with some players is in the middle of the park.

Jonathan Hogg is usually reliable, and Jack Rudoni is a very capable Championship player, but a bit more creativity and attacking threat in these areas wouldn't go a miss.

Kane has eight goals and five assists in 32 League One appearances this season - four of those goals have come from the penalty spot, and he's been providing chances like this since Barnsley came down.

He registered seven assists last season, and six in the one before that - the 25-year-old would be a different option to the ones that Huddersfield currently have.