"A shame" - Huddersfield Town: Sorba Thomas deal questioned as winger heads for Nantes | OneFootball

Sorba Thomas looks set for a loan move to the French side

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sorba Thomas has been an impressive figure for Huddersfield Town in recent years despite the club's overall struggles.

The Welsh international first asserted himself as a star performer during his first full season at the John Smith's Stadium as the Terriers came mighty close to a surprise return to the Premier League under Carlos Corberan, ultimately losing to Nottingham Forest in the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium.

Since that day, the two seasons that have followed in this part of West Yorkshire have been ones of frustration and inconsistency, despite the first of them yielding a great escape under Neil Warnock, before Town were eventually relegated back to League One for the first time since 2012 on the final day of the season.

However, there is genuine belief that Town can mount a sustained bid in the race for promotion after the shrewd managerial appointment of Michael Duff, as well as the new man in the dugout impressing outsiders with a number of solid acquisitions thus far.

But, the former Barnsley boss will have to do it without Huddersfield's creative lynchpin, as recent developments point towards the finalisation of a move abroad.

Huddersfield Town stance given as Sorba Thomas set for FC Nantes loan switch

That's because, according to French sports outlet, L'Équipe, Thomas is set to join Ligue 1 side FC Nantes on a temporary basis for the upcoming season, despite initial links stating that 'Les Canaris' submitted a £1m bid for his services.

Given the fresh update in this transfer saga, Football League World's Huddersfield Town fan pundit, Graeme Rayner, believes that whilst a current loan deal doesn't benefit his side in the short-term, a loan switch isn't perhaps the worst move in the world amid recent factors.

"It's a shame that it can't be a permanent deal, because a clean break is probably the best for everyone," Rayner stated. "I'm not sure what the benefits of a loan move are to us as a club."

"Obviously, it benefits him (Thomas) and it benefits Nantes, but I'm not sure if it benefits us at all, unless there's an obligation to buy in the deal," he continued.

"We could end up in the same position in a year's time as I believe he still has a couple of years left on his contract."

"It's a difficult one. Obviously, I think for everyone it would be best if he could move on permanently."

"But, if it gets him off the wage bill, frees up a squad space and it gets him playing football and happy again, then it's better than nothing," Rayner added.

An obligation-to-buy would make sense in Sorba Thomas' pending loan move

Given Thomas' quality and Nantes' previous initial desire to strike a permanent deal for the eight-time Wales international, an obligation-to-buy clause in the deal would make sense, although such details within the pending loan move have not yet been revealed.

If he does impress at the Stade de la Beaujoire in what will be his first taste of top flight football, just three-and-a-half years after joining from National League side Boreham Wood, it would be within Town's best interests to make a profit on the 25-year-old whilst his stock remains high after a productive season in difficult circumstances.

Furthermore, it would also be in the best interests of his imminent temporary employers, as previous reports state that they have faced English and European competition for his signature, with his former boss, Corberan, recently said to be keen on acquring his services at West Bromwich Albion.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Thomas after the conclusion of this season given his contract situation in West Yorkshire, but as a result of such strong interest, it is still a deserved move to a higher standard of division.