On the pitch
Star man: Christopher Schindler, the commanding, dependable, talented, likeable, respected – or to use the shorthand, German – centre-half. Schindler took the penalty that sealed promotion, despite having little experience from 12 yards. When asked by the chairman, Dean Hoyle, why he stepped forward, Schindler replied: “You paid a record fee for me, so I had a duty to pay you back.” Heroic.
Biggest summer buy:Steve Mounié, an £11m purchase from Montpellier, ticks all the Premier League boxes: he’s big, strong, fast and young. A presence through the middle or out on the flanks, the 22-year-old Benin forward’s adaptability should complement Huddersfield’s fluid style, while simultaneously adding a new dimension to it: he’s 6ft 3ins.
Breakthrough season: Kasey Palmer is one of the several thousand young players out on loan from Chelsea right now. But he could be one of the very best. A skilful attacking midfielder with an eye for goal, he scored on his debut on the opening day of last season’s Championship, notching the winner against Brentford within 60 seconds of coming off the bench. What price a similarly sensational introduction to the Premier League?
Bad boy: Mathias “Zanka” Jorgensen, an elegant ball‑playing centre-half brought in from Copenhagen, enjoys nothing more than latching on to an opposing forward and giving him a good old‑fashioned working over, both physically and verbally, sometimes operating at the very fringes of legality. Imagine Rio Ferdinand spliced with Diego Costa. What’s not to love?
Boo boy: There’s a feelgood factor around Kirklees, David Wagner having instilled a one-for-all mentality from top to bottom. So outright booing may come at a premium. Expect some concerned tongue-clacking, however, should Jonas Lossl fail to fill the popular Danny Ward’s goalkeeping gloves. Lossl quickly earned a reputation at Mainz for wobbly behaviour; given he was only following Lorius Karius, that doesn’t augur particularly well.
Destination Russia: Australia’s Aaron Mooy was Huddersfield’s player of the season last time round, the driving force behind many a move, and has subsequently turned his loan move from Manchester City permanent. Proving his worth in the Premier League – and thus proving City wrong in letting him go – will stand the former St Mirren midfielder in good stead for the Socceroos’ summer.
Glass half-full: The title-winning ways of the 1920s are probably beyond them but a repeat performance of their last return to the top flight – 15th place in 1970-71 – would do nicely.
Glass half-empty: Huddersfield go roaring up the table, 1920s style, whereupon Wagner is poached by Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund or Liverpool.
Off the pitch
The manager: David Wagner is unlikely to escape comparisons to his friend, mentor and style guru Jürgen Klopp. Not least because his teams play with similarly attack-minded verve. Their breezy, easy-on-the-eye front-foot style usually provides entertainment one way or the other (Town managed to win promotion with a negative goal difference).
The owners: Dean Hoyle made his millions with greetings cards, though there have been no cheap platitudes in his dealings with Town fans. Hoyle stood by a long-standing promise to offer loyal supporters a Premier League season ticket for only £100, and cycled from Yorkshire to the play-off final at Wembley for charity.
Alex Taylor’s fan’s view: Little time was wasted between Schindler’s promotion-clinching spot-kick and a flurry of transfer activity. We’ve never been in better shape and, with Wagner at the helm, we can upset the odds again. Prediction: 16th. Follow Alex @AlexJT27
