"In the balance" - Doubt cast on Huddersfield Town, Matty Pearson future | OneFootball

The defender is out of contract this summer, and is playing for his Huddersfield Town future

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…

Huddersfield Town could be facing a summer of uncertainty in 2025, with a number of the Terriers’ players currently in the final year of their contract with the club.

The League One outfit have as many as 12 players on the books who are set to leave next June as it stands, with the club looking to bounce back to the Championship at the first opportunity this season.

Which division the club find themselves in for the following campaign will likely determine which players they will be offering extensions to in the coming months, although any decisions will likely come as the situation becomes more clear.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Huddersfield Town fan pundit Graeme Rayner about the future of Matty Pearson, with the defender one of the dozen playing for his future at this moment in time.

Matty Pearson verdict made as Huddersfield Town contact nears conclusion

Pearson made the move to the John Smith’s Stadium back in the summer of 2021, having arrived at the club from fellow Championship outfit Luton Town.

The centre-back had an immediate impact at his new employers, with his performances helping the club reach the second-tier play-off final, before missing out to Nottingham Forest at Wembley.

Since then, it has been a steady decline for the Yorkshire side, which culminated in relegation to League One last season, with Michael Duff’s side ripping up and starting again following their drop into the third tier.

Pearson started the season struggling to get into the first-team for Town, having failed to start any of his side’s opening seven league fixtures, before being recalled into action at the end of last month.

With this being such a crucial time in the defender’s career, Rayner believes there is a lot riding on the next six months as to whether the 31-year-old will remain a Town player come July 1st of next year.

The Terriers fan pundi said: “Should Matty Pearson be given a new contract? That all depends on which division we expect to be playing in next year.

“If we secure promotion to the Championship - which is definitely in the balance at the moment - then I don’t really see that it benefits him or us to offer him a new deal.

“If we believe that we are not going to be in the Championship next season, then I think he is a good player to have around.

“He is known to Town fans as the ‘Keighley Cannavaro’, he is exceptionally popular, and he always chips in with goals and he is a real battler.

“He is better on the ball than people give him credit for as well, but he is a real battler for us, and I think he is made for League One now.”

Huddersfield Town's League One campaign will have major effect on Matty Pearson future

Town have had a mixed start to life back in League One, with five wins and five defeats summing up a topsy-turvy campaign to date under Duff.

Pearson netted in his first league start of the season in a 2-1 defeat to Reading, while his further two 90-minute displays have brought a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City and a 2-0 victory over Barnsley.

With a number of sides starting the League One season brightly, an immediate return to the Championship could be a tough task for the former Premier League side, and Rayner believes another season in the third tier could inadvertently play into Pearson’s hands.

He continued: “He has had three seasons with us in the Championship and he has bags of experience there, but he is 31 and will be 32 by the start of next season.

“Is he going to cut it in the Championship again? I’m not so sure, so it all depends what level we will be playing at, but he has played over 100 games for us and is a cracking player.

“We owe him a lot of thanks and respect, so we will see what the future brings, but I wish him well either way.”