Huddersfield Town urged to sign a player with "pace" after losing first team ace | OneFootball

FLW's Huddersfield Town fan pundit has given his verdict on whether the club should seek a replacement for Michal Helik this January

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 cashed in on Michal Helik earlier this month with a sale to Championship side Oxford United.

The Poland international was a semi-regular part of Michael Duff’s side this season, making 17 appearances in the League One campaign before moving.

His departure has left the Terriers without a top-class starter in the team’s backline, as they look to compete for promotion back to the second tier.

The Yorkshire outfit have until Monday to decide on whether to pursue a replacement for Helik in the first team squad.

Huddersfield transfer weighed up after Helik exit

When asked whether the club should pursue a Helik replacement, FLW’s Huddersfield fan pundit Graem Rayner claimed that a loan move might be the best step forward for the time being.

He believes the fitness of Nigel Lonwijk should play a role in the decision, as a back-three of him, Radinio Balker and Brodie Spencer would be a great option to have for Duff.

“Do we need to get a replacement for Michal Helik? I genuinely don’t know,” Rayner told Football League World.

“It depends, I think, how long Nigel Lonwijk continues to be out for, realistically.

“Because one thing that has become very apparent is that, aside from Lonwijk and Balker, who we only ever seem to have one fit — I don’t think they’ve ever played in the same team — we really lack pace.

“One thing we do need is pace.

“So, I have no idea who it should be, but if we could get a loan from a higher division that could have the same kind of impact on us as Levi Colwill did when he was loaned to us, then that could be fantastic.

“Someone like that.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say we should go out and bring someone in permanently, because I think that is probably a job for the summer.

“But I’d be tempted to bring someone who can play in a centre-half role who has more pace, so that would be great.

“Having said that, if we could have a first-choice back-three of Lonwijk on the left, Balker in the middle and Brodie Spencer on the right, then that looks a lot more robust and athletic than the ones we’ve played with recently.”

Huddersfield are currently fourth in the League One table, 10 points behind second-place Wycombe Wanderers.

A loan deal would make sense for Huddersfield

The fitness issues of Lonwijk and Balker mean that a loan move might make the most sense for Huddersfield, if they can get one over the line.

Time is running out in the window to complete any deals, so the club does need to act fast if they want to bring someone in.

But just adding that bit of extra cover or even competition for minutes might be what they need in their fight for promotion.