Huddersfield Town could do worse than looking at Peterborough star set for exit: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Huddersfield Town's relatively new owner Kevin Nagle made a brave decision to let veteran manager Neil Warnock go after just seven matches of the 2023-24 season, and it's fair to say that the Terriers are yet to really hit their top stride under new boss Darren Moore just yet.

Warnock was expected by many to be around for one more year after keeping Town in the Championship somewhat miraculously in the previous campaign.

However, despite winning his previous two matches, Warnock's imminent exit was announced on the eve of a clash with Stoke City in September, which ended up being the 74-year-old's final match in charge in his second stint.

Nagle, explaining the decision, said that when the club had found their eventual Warnock successor then they would move, but Moore's arrival came a lot earlier than anyone would have anticipated.

And with just one win in his opening eight matches as manager, Moore has a fight on his hands to keep the West Yorkshire side in the second tier of English football for another season.

In fairness, there have been four draws in there as well, but there have also been hammerings against Cardiff, Birmingham, and Leeds, which suggests there are still significant issues that Moore has inherited.

There are defensive frailties that perhaps need addressing in January, but the attack needs work done to it as well, with just six goals scored since Moore's arrival - and half of them have come from centre-back Michal Helik.

What Huddersfield definitely need is a focal point in attack due to Danny Ward being injured and ageing, Kian Harratt and Kyle Hudlin being young and inexperienced and perhaps not ready to play regularly at the level, leaving Delano Burgzorg as the only real proper option.

And in Jonson Clarke-Harris, there is a player that will be available in the January transfer window who Moore will know all about from his time in League One, but also someone who has scored goals in the Championship.

Jonson Clarke-Harris' Peterborough United situation

The 29-year-old has been at London Road for over three years now, but his time there is set to come to an end either in January or the summer of 2024.

Clarke-Harris' contract expires next June, and Peterborough were very close to selling him back to League One rivals Bristol Rovers in the summer, with Joey Barton desperate for his services.

A deal in excess of £800,000 failed to beat the deadline, leaving Darren Ferguson with excess striker options after planning for life without the striker.

With Barton now gone from the Memorial Stadium though, that could open a deal up to other clubs, and the price will likely come down the closer Clarke-Harris's contract gets to expiring.

As evidenced by Clarke-Harris' last four full seasons, he scores goals with regularity providing he gets the right service, and his tally has only dropped off during the current campaign as he has been relegated by Ferguson to that of a substitute as other players who are contracted beyond 2024 are given a chance.

Where does Jonson Clarke-Harris fit in at Huddersfield?

In six of Moore's eight matches in charge of Huddersfield, he has opted to start with two strikers up-front, going with the same system that he had much success in League One with Sheffield Wednesday with.

That is perhaps not going to get the best out of a winger like Josh Koroma, but what it can mean is he plays up-front with a big striker who can do a bit of everything like Clarke-Harris.

Standing at six feet tall and having a lot of strength, Clarke-Harris can be the player to bring others into play, such as Jack Rudoni, Sorba Thomas and Koroma who can all play off or around him, and a 4-2-3-1 formation could more suit the 29-year-old if Moore wanted to move to that.

There's every reason to believe that Huddersfield could get Clarke-Harris for around £500,000 in January due to the nature of his expiring contract, and his goal record - despite it being mostly at League One level - speaks for itself, making it a no-brainer of a deal to explore.