Cardiff & Huddersfield in transfer tussle for defender | OneFootball

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Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town are both interested in Angers right-back Yan Valery, who could leave the French side following their relegation.

Who is Yan Valery?

The 24-year-old is a name that many fans will know, as he joined Southampton as a youngster and went on to make over 50 appearances for the club after breaking into the team. As well as that, he had a loan spell with Birmingham City in the Championship.

However, Valery sealed a return to France last year when he joined Ligue 1 outfit Angers.

A tough campaign followed for Valery and Angers, as the side finished bottom of the table to drop to the second tier. But, the defender got regular game time and will feel it has helped him improve as a player.

Huddersfield and Cardiff interested in Yan Valery

Even though Valery has a deal with Angers that runs until the summer of 2026, it appears he could be on the move, as reporter Jacque Talbot revealed that both the Bluebirds and the Terriers are ready to offer Valery a return to English football. Interestingly, the update states that the player is open to a transfer.

There’s no indication of what sort of fee would be required to get this deal done, but, as mentioned above, Valery still has years to go on his contract.

Nevertheless, both Cardiff and Huddersfield aren’t the biggest spenders in the Championship, so the fact they’re interested indicates it won’t be a significant sum. Plus, with Angers now in the second tier, they may lower their demands.

What sort of player is Yan Valery?

The Frenchman was always seen as someone with talent, but it’s fair to say his career didn’t take off as many expected.

He couldn’t nail down a place in the XI at Southampton, and that lack of consistent game time won’t have helped his development.

As a result, he moved to France, and whilst he has been part of a team that went down, Valery has got regular minutes in a very good league. It’s important to note that he’s still only 24, so he is about to enter his peak. Therefore, it’s the sort of signing that could turn out to be very intelligent business for either Cardiff or Huddersfield.

Valery certainly has the physicality to cope with the Championship, and he has a willingness to get forward. So, the raw tools are there for him to become a good player at this level.

Cardiff & Huddersfield transfer plans

It’s been a hectic summer for Cardiff, who have bought in Erol Bulut as the new head coach, and there’s been a huge turnover of players as he looks to make his mark on the team.

He knows he is working on a budget, but they’ve been able to bring in quality, and he will hope that more follows.

It’s a similar story at Huddersfield, who had to wait for Kevin Nagle’s takeover to go through, with the US businessman then convincing Neil Warnock to return to the club.

Again, they aren’t going to be splashing big money this summer, but Warnock knows what’s required to be successful in the Championship.