Huddersfield Town secured the services of Aaron Mooy on a permanent deal on Friday, after the midfielder played a key role in their promotion winning season while on loan from Manchester City.
The Australian international joins the Terriers for a club-record fee of £8 million, which could rise to £10 million depending on add-ons, and has signed a three-year contract, with the option of an extra year’s extension.
Speaking to the club’s official website, head coach David Wagner expressed his joy at being able to wrap up a deal for a player whose performances were central to Huddersfield’s success last term:
“As I said many times last season, Aaron was right at the heart of our team. When he played well, we usually played well – and won! His performances for us understandably brought a lot of interest in him this summer, so it is a big statement that Aaron wants to return to us… He is still a great age and has space to improve, which is exciting for us too!”
The History
Born in Sydney, Australia, Mooy’s big break came in 2006 when he joined then Premier League outfit Bolton Wanderers at the age of 16.
Mooy stayed with the club for the next four years, before departing at the end of his contract in July 2010 due to being unable to break into the first-team squad.
The midfielder joined Scottish Premier League side St Mirren, and made 21 first-team appearances over the next two seasons, registering once goal and three assists, before returning to his homeland with newly formed A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers in June 2012.
He scored four goals in 49 appearances, before moving to Melbourne City, where his career really took off.
Mooy registered 18 goals and 13 assists in 53 matches over a two-year period, with his performances during the 2015/16 season in particular, when he was named PFA Player of the Year, leading to the move to City in June 2016.
The midfielder was immediately sent out on loan to Huddersfield though, with Mooy producing four goals and seven assists in 48 league outings including the playoffs as the Terriers gained promotion to the Premier League.
After representing Australia at U20 and U23 levels, scoring six goals in 13 appearances, Mooy marked his senior debut with a goal and assist in a 9-0 win over Guam in December 2012.
Mooy has played 25 times for his country, producing five goals and eight assists.
The Prospects
Given that Mooy was never likely to break into the first-team picture at City, it came as little surprise to see Huddersfield’s Player of the Year return to the John Smith’s Stadium.
An all-round midfielder, Mooy boasts impressive technical ability, with his passing one of his main strengths, although his lack physicality and pace could be more apparent in the top flight. The Australian is, however, strong in a challenge and ranked fourth for tackles among Championship midfielders last season.
More importantly from a Fantasy perspective, he boasts tremendous quality through his set-piece delivery, and also took two of his side’s four penalties last term, scoring one and missing another.
Mooy impressively made more key passes (102) and successful tackles (114) than any team-mate, playing predominantly as the deep-lying playmaker in central midfield.
His output in the Championship, along with the fact Wagner has turned him into a more rounded midfielder, having played much of his football in Australia as a No 10, suggests a likely price tag of between 5.0 and 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
However, interest in Mooy could be drowned out by the attention given to another potential midfield target: Elias Kachunga, who was Huddersfield’s top scorer last season with 12 goals.
The DR Congo international made 36 of his 44 league appearances in the attacking midfield positions, with the other eight coming as a central striker.
He may well be classified as a midfielder in FPL then, and if priced similarly to Mooy, could hold the upper hand.
Wagner’s side struggled badly for goals last season, managing just 56 across the 46 league matches, suggesting that despite their favourable opening schedule, we should be wary opting for Huddersfield attackers as budget options.
The Terriers begin their campaign away to Crystal Palace, while over the first eight Gameweeks, they face just one of last season’s top seven (NEW, SOT, whm, LEI, brn, TOT, swa).
So should either Mooy or Kachunga impress in pre-season, there’s every chance they may be viable options as a cheap fourth or fifth midfielder, with Derby County’s Tom Ince potentially another option, with a fee agreed for the winger on Friday.
Mooy certainly looks capable of making the step up to the Premier League from a technical standpoint, and with his set-piece duties so prominent, he could be a factor in the coming season, particularly if he is the designated penalty taker.
But with other possible candidates in both midfield and attack and further new Huddersfield signings to come, Fantasy managers will hope that pre-season can provide some cast-iron evidence of a stand-out option.
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