"Not good enough" - Huddersfield Town urged to avoid Cardiff City transfer swoop | OneFootball

Huddersfield Town have been linked with a January move for Cardiff City's Kion Etete

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 have been encouraged to avoid completing a January deal for Cardiff City striker Kion Etete, who has emerged as a reported target ahead of next month's mid-season window.

The Terriers find themselves firmly in the running for promotion and are up to fourth with a game in hand over third-placed Wrexham, having cemented an unbeaten run stretching to 10 league outings following Saturday's 2-2 draw at Lincoln City.

However, they remain in pursuit of a striker moving into the January window. Huddersfield's need for reinforcements at the top-end of the pitch is well documented, with the likes of Bojan Radulovic, Freddie Ladapo, Rhys Healey and Danny Ward all struggling for either form or fitness this term.

Huddersfield Town's transfer interest in Cardiff City's Kion Etete

According to a recent report published by Football Insider, Huddersfield are weighing up a move for Etete next month. The report doesn't detail whether Huddersfield are looking into a loan or a permanent deal for the striker, who is currently set to see his contract with Cardiff expire at the end of the season.

Etete is yet to kick a ball in anger this term after suffering a serious hamstring injury in pre-season. Injuries are hardly anything new for Etete, though, and the 22-year-old has struggled to cement consistent form and fitness since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2022.

The imposing forward has scored three league goals apiece in each of his two full Championship campaigns with Cardiff, the first of which saw him lead the line in the Bluebirds' relegation battle. It's not yet clear just what stance Cardiff will decide to take on Etete, who has a point to prove to both new permanent boss Omer Riza and in his own bid to potentially earn a fresh contract.

Cardiff, who are once again fighting against relegation to League One, are short-staffed in the striking department.

Callum Robinson is the club's current first-choice candidate and has scored five times this season, but his own fitness problems are also little secret, while Wilfried Kanga is yet to open his account and is likely to be recalled by parent club Hertha Berlin in January and fellow young, injury-prone striker Isaak Davies remains sidelined through a pre-season injury, too.

Whether those factors will encourage Cardiff to retain Etete in January remains to be seen, and one could likely gather strong cases both for and against that.

Huddersfield Town verdict offered on transfer interest in Cardiff City's Kion Etete

FLW asked our resident Terriers fan pundit, Graeme Rayner, to explain whether he would welcome the signing of Etete or if his side requires a better option in January.

Graeme believes Etete's injury record is a real concern and, given Healey's own history, it should mean Huddersfield avoid making a move for the ex-Cheltenham and Northampton Town loanee, who does possess prior experience in League One.

"My view is we need something better, we need somebody more reliable," Graeme told Football League World.

"The reason we're being linked with any strikers is because we've got issues in that area.

"One of our issues is that our best striker (Rhys Healey) is almost permanently injured, every time he gets close to fitness he gets injured again so we don't need someone who hasn't played football in a long time because they've been injured.

"I'm sure he might be a good player and someone worth looking at, but he can't be the solution. He could be part of the solution if we bring in two strikers, but on his own, not good enough I don't think.

"I think if that was the only signing we made, Town fans would be rightly very concerned and upset. While it's interesting we're being linked with players from higher divisions, that's not the most attractive option to me."