2017/18 Premier League Preview Huddersfield Town
This season will be the first time Huddersfield have played in the top-flight of English football since the creation of the Premier League.
Their promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs last season came as a big surprise. In previous Championship seasons there was little to suggest Huddersfield would be pushing for promotion last season.
Having won promotion to the Championship from League One in 2011/12, Huddersfield finished 19th, 17th, 16th and 19th in the Championship. Relegation was more of a threat than promotion so of all three clubs promoted last season, Huddersfield are perhaps the least prepared.
In each of the previous three seasons, the team which has won promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs has been relegated the following year. Therefore, it can come as little surprise to see Huddersfield installed as the favourites for relegation in the 2017/18 Premier League season at a best price of 4/7 at the bookmakers.
Huddersfield have broken their transfer record during the summer window on more than one occasion but have they strengthened enough to avoid the drop?
The short answer must be no, they have not.
While they have been busy in the transfer market, not one of the players brought in to the John Smith’s Stadium are proven Premier League quality.
Steve Mounie is the clubs record singing, joining for just over £11 million from French club Montpellier. Last season, the 22-year-old striker scored 14 goals in 35 Ligue 1 appearances, which is not a bad record and saw Montpellier finish 3 points clear of the relegation zone. He finished joint 9th in the top scorer’s chart.
The pressure will be on Mounie to score goals this season and he is 4/5 to finish as the club’s top scorer but 250/1 to finish the season as Premier League top scorer. Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is available at 200/1, which gives a reflection of what the bookmakers think regarding Mounie’s chances this season.
If Huddersfield are to avoid the drop this season, it will be by the skin of their teeth. They are very unlikely to make an impression close to the top of the half of the table and a bottom half finish, at 1/33 seems inevitable.
The opening fixtures of the season have been kind to Huddersfield and of the top six teams, they meet only Tottenham Hotspur in their first eight games. This gives the Terriers a chance to get some points on the board.
The end of the season looks much worse, with Chelsea, Everton, Manchester City and Arsenal their final four fixtures. The start will be key if Huddersfield are to stay up and they are 13/10 to avoid relegation this season.
However, having come from nowhere to win promotion last season, Huddersfield may struggle to make a lasting impact in the Premier League. They are just 7/4 to finish bottom of the table and suffer relegation back to the Championship at the first time of asking.
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