"I suspect" - Lee Nicholls, Huddersfield Town transfer exit claim issued | OneFootball

FLW's Huddersfield fan pundit believes Lee Nicholls would have been the player most likely to leave the club in 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 were fairly active during the January transfer window.

The Terriers are looking to win promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking this season, with Michael Duff having led his side to 5th place in League One at this stage of the campaign.

The club showed ambition in January by signing strikers Joe Taylor and Dion Charles from Luton Town and Bolton Wanderers respectively, while Ruben Roosken arrived at the John Smith's Stadium from Dutch side Hereacles Almelo and Tawanda Chirewa was brought in on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

There were also a few players who left West Yorkshire last month - Kieran Phillips joined Ross County, Michael Helik moved to Oxford United, Kian Harratt signed for Fleetwood Town, and Jaheim Headley completed a move to Port Vale, while a couple of players were also sent out on loan.

Football League World spoke to our Huddersfield fan pundit to establish whether there are any other players in Duff's squad who they feel may have left the club in January.

Lee Nicholls may have had options

We asked our Huddersfield fan pundit, Graeme Rayner, whether there is a player in the squad that he is surprised didn't leave during the January transfer window.

"I think that the one who probably would have had the best options would have been Lee Nicholls," said Graeme.

"He is a Championship quality goalkeeper, and he is also one of the few Championship quality players we have.

"I suspect he will also have seen, while he has been out of the team, that our reserve 'keeper, Jacob Chapman, has come in and done a really good job for the most part.

"Chapman is still young, he is still raw, and he still has an error in him, but he has done a very, very good job up until the last couple of games where there have been a few questions asked.

"Nicholls may have thought that his future lies elsewhere, but I suspect now that he might be back in the reckoning for the first-team pretty soon.

"I am pleased he hasn't gone as I think he still has something to offer us.

"I would say of our players who are currently at the club, obviously we have a few out on loan, he would be the most likely to warrant looking elsewhere for a move to a higher level."

Nicholls has been sidelined for much of this season

Nicholls has been limited to just seven appearances in League One this season, after an elbow injury that he suffered in September kept him out of the squad until January.

He has been on the bench for the Terriers in their last few games, but considering that results have not been great, a player of his experience will surely be eyeing a return to the starting lineup, despite the fact that Chapman has kept nine clean sheets in 21 league games in his absence.

The 32-year-old has made over 100 appearances for the club, and has shown his quality on many occasions in the Championship, so now that he seems to have returned to fitness and did not leave during the transfer window, he will no doubt be hoping that he can force his way back into Duff's plans and help Huddersfield bounce back to the second tier.