Jonathan Hogg to leave Huddersfield Town - These 3 replacements must be on the Terriers' transfer radar | OneFootball

Jonathan Hogg is leaving Huddersfield Town, so we've identified 3 possible replacements.

Huddersfield Town have completed a disappointing season, having fallen out of the play-off places in League One and down towards the middle of the table. They've been under the interim managership Jon Worthington since March, and the end of this season marks the end of an era with the departure of Jonathan Hogg, the last member of the team that won promotion to the Premier League in 2017.

He's been with the Terriers since 2013 and has made over 400 appearances for the club. The space he'll leave in midfield will be a big one as the club seeks to return to the Championship again next season.

With that in mind, we have shifted the focus onto how Huddersfield can replace Hogg, looking into three possible signings they could target:

Jordan Houghton

Houghton's contract is up at the end of the season, having signed a two-year deal with Plymouth Argyle in 2023. Earlier this season, Houghton opened up about "the worst season of his career" to the Plymouth Herald after he was largely sidelined by former manager Wayne Rooney.

His replacement, Miron Muslic, found a place in the team for him, and he's run up to 30 appearances this season, but with his contract at an end and nothing yet confirmed that it's going to be renewed, could he be persuaded to swap the rolling hills of Devon for the Yorkshire Dales?

Matthew Craig

Matthew Craig has had a busy season. He was sent on a season's loan to Barnsley by his parent club, Tottenham Hotspur, at the start, but was recalled by his parent club in January and sent off to Mansfield Town instead, but he's only made limited appearances for them, as well.

At 22, Craig is no longer a particularly young player, and he may be thinking that it's time to leave the loan carousel and find himself a more permanent gig. Spurs only have him under contract until 2026 themselves, so it might well be that one more year-long loan or a sale at a relatively modest price could suit Huddersfield.

Joe Morrell

This one is a bit of a wild card, to the extent that it might even be considered a gamble. Joe Morrell has had a terrible time with injuries and was released by Portsmouth in the summer of 2024, although they continued to oversee his convalescence from a torn cartilage injury which has stopped him from playing all season.

But if he can get that knee back in working order, Morrell represents an opportunity for any club brave enough to take that punt. After all, this is an experienced player, with years of experience in both the Championship and League One, as well as 37 international caps and two appearances in the 2022 World Cup finals for Wales. All this, and he's still only 28 years old.

These aren't very expensive replacement options

Two of the above will be out of contract in a month or two and the other is likely to be available for a year-long loan, so transfer fees shouldn't be an issue? But what about wages? Here are the last reported wage estimates for these players:

All things must come to an end, but Huddersfield parting ways with Hogg is about more than losing a footballer. The influence of a player who has been at a club for over a decade is inestimable, and he will be a great loss to them.

But defensive midfield is an increasingly important position in modern football. These are the modern utility players, who can provide support to both the defence and attack. If Huddersfield are to make a better job of getting out of League One next season, it's a crucial position to get right.