Norwich City were the clear winners from £10m Huddersfield Town deal: View | OneFootball

When Huddersfield Town signed Alex Pritchard from Norwich City in 2018, it seemed like they were certain to be getting a player that could make an impact for the next few years.

The Terriers paid a reported £12 million fee to secure the signature of the midfielder, which seemed like a fair price at the time of the deal.

The midfielder managed 19 goals and 20 assists in 89 Championship appearances for three different clubs, which included seven goals and 11 assists in 38 matches during his time at Norwich.

He joined the Canaries from Tottenham Hotspur in 2016, becoming a key player for Norwich under Alex Neil. While he started mainly from the bench, he became an important player in the new year and started the majority of matches in attacking midfield between Christmas and the end of the season.

Sadly, he missed the bulk of the first half of the following season due to ankle surgery, but returned for eight more matches before catching the eye of Huddersfield in January 2018.

Pritchard struggled during his time at Huddersfield

After joining Huddersfield in January 2019, Pritchard struggled to recapture the form that earned him the move, although it is hard to blame him entirely for his performances.

The midfielder only managed three goals and three assists during his time with the Terriers. Given the amount of money Huddersfield spent on the player, Norwich will have been thrilled to get so much money out of a player struggling to perform in the Premier League.

Despite excelling in an attacking midfield role, he found himself shunted out onto the left wing more, with the tactics deployed by different managers not always including the number ten role in which he excelled previously.

At Huddersfield, the side mainly played in a 4-3-3 formation. This meant that he either needed to play deeper than preferred, sacrificing his creativity, or moving him onto the wing where he would be less involved in the game.

His heatmap from these seasons show how little time he spent in the position you'd expect a number ten to be in, mainly playing deeper in midfield or out wide. However, when he was given the opportunity to play in the hole, he did struggle to pick up goals and assists for the Terriers.

Neither worked out well for Pritchard, although the team also struggled as they were relegated from the Premier League in his second season at the club.

Injuries were also a factor. He joined the club just months after coming back from a long-term injury, so it was only natural he would take the time to get back up to speed, especially in a new team with a new system. Injuries also struck while Pritchard was with the Terriers, as he only played 18 times each in his final two years with the club.

Pritchard was rarely available to play for Huddersfield, with injuries including an ankle problem and a cyst behind his knee causing him to miss a huge number of matches. The team did not excel with or without him, however, finishing 18th and 20th during the two years in the Championship.

With the club balancing delicately above the relegation zone at the moment, it is clear that there were much bigger issues than Pritchard was at the club. Of course, he did not really help their cause and his price-tag was a concern.

Huddersfield failed where others succeeded with Pritchard

While he was a flop at the John Smith's Stadium, Pritchard showed elsewhere why he was so highly during his time at Norwich.

Injuries and being played out of position ruined his chances of succeeding at the John Smith's Stadium, and he showed that when he was played behind the striker, he could excel as a creative force in the side.

Pritchard joined Sunderland in the summer of 2021, becoming a key player for the side as he helped the Black Cats win promotion to the Championship, before finishing in the play-offs during their first season back in the second-tier.

Pritchard played 115 matches for Sunderland, scoring nine times and assisting 25. While it is not the best return in the world, he was an important player in the side, and managed to stay fit for the majority of his time at the Stadium of Light, before joining Birmingham City to link back up with Tony Mowbray.

They also played to his strengths, mainly starting him as an attacking midfielder, although he played all across the midfield and on the wings at times.

Pritchard's performances at Huddersfield were partially down to luck and partially down to the club's handling of the player. While injuries played a significant part in his failure, playing out of position is now the ideal thing to do for a player you've just spent over £10 million on.

However, if he had kept fit, then the club maybe could have built the team around Pritchard to get the best out of the deal. When you can't be relied upon to play more than half the matches for your club, then, of course, the manager won't overhaul his tactics to fit you in.