Newly promoted Huddersfield Town completed their first summer signing with the addition of Porto striker Laurent Depoitre for an undisclosed club-record transfer fee, reportedly worth £3.5 million.
The 28-year-old Belgian international has signed a two-year deal with the Terriers, with the option of a further year’s extension.
Speaking to the club’s official website, head coach David Wagner revealed his delight at being able to add a player of Depoitre’s quality and experience to his squad:
“He is a proper striker; one who has played for a very good Belgium side, featured in elite European competition and who has won domestic titles. It is great news that we have had the opportunity to sign a player of his quality and now we will focus on getting him back to the top form he showed only a season ago. He scores goals and is a real worker too, so he will fit the ‘Terriers’ Identity’ very well.”
The History
Depoitre began his footballing journey in the Belgian lower leagues, initially linking up with RFC Tournai, scoring 12 goals in 31 appearances before signing for RRC Péruwelz in 2009.
He produced 16 goals in 43 outings over the next two seasons, leading to a move to Eendracht Aalst.
His progression continued in Aalst, netting 25 times in 69 matches. That prompted a transfer to top tier side KV Oostende in 2012 where he managed 19 goals and 10 assists in 62 league appearances over the next two seasons.
Depoitre was then bought by KAA Gent ahead of the 2014/15 campaign and it was there where his career really moved up a level.
He totalled 27 goals and 14 assists in 70 league outings, while he also made seven starts in the UEFA Champions League, scoring once, before joining Portuguese giants Porto in August 2016 for €6 million.
But Depoitre struggled to establish himself in the first-team in Portugal and only made seven league appearances, yielding just one goal.
He didn’t represent Belgian at youth level, but scored in his one and only appearance for the national team in a 4-1 victory over Andorra in October 2015.
The Prospects
Given Huddersfield managed to score just 56 goals in their 46 league matches last season – with 13 other sides in the Championship managing more, it was clear that Wagner needed to bolster his attacking options.
Elias Kachunga, who was played predominantly on the right flank, ended the campaign as the Terriers’ top scorer with 12 goals, with Nakhi Wells managing just 10 from 46 appearances.
Both Kachunga and Wells offer a threat primarily due to their pace, so the addition of physical target man Depoitre adds a new dimension to the Huddersfield attack.
Standing at 6ft 3 in tall, Depoitre has in the past been likened to compatriot Christian Benteke, while in terms of playing style, his signing mirrors the additions made by Swansea City and Middlesbrough with Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Negredo respectively ahead of last season.
Depoitre’s career is yet to hit the heights of those names, with his narrative so far comparable to that of Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, having progressed through the lower leagues before establishing himself as a striker at the top level.
Like Benteke and Llorente in particular, Depoitre’s major strength is his aerial ability, while he is an imposing and commanding target man, allowing him to hold off defenders and bring team-mates into play.
Depoitre appears to be an old-fashioned style English centre-forward in that respect, something the Belgian has himself alluded to:
“(The Head Coach) explained to me his way of playing and the mentality he wants. I think I can be useful to his way of playing. I’m a target man, a hard worker, I can keep the ball and I’m strong in the air. I fit the profile of English football… I fight for every ball; I don’t like to lose it, and if I do, I always fight to get it back.”
Wagner is a Jurgen Klopp disciple – although he prefers to describe his own sides high-pressing style as the “Terriers’ Identity” – so it will be interesting to see whether Depoitre has the stamina to seek out and win possession high up the pitch.
He will have to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, and that, along with his lack of goalscoring pedigree in a top European League, are two of the main questions he will need to address.
First-choice forwards from newly promoted sides usually find themselves priced between 5.5 and 6.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), but Depoitre’s moderate goalscoring record perhaps means he should set us back no more than 6.0.
Looking at the Terriers’ opening schedule, there’s every chance that Fantasy managers could consider Huddersfield attacking assets as budget options when formulating Gameweek 1 squads.
Wagner’s men avoid all of last season’s top seven over the opening six Gameweeks (cpl, NEW, SOT, whu, LEI, bur), and look to have the ideal platform to get early points on the board. But with Wagner expected to add other new faces over the coming weeks, we will likely need to reserve judgement until the pre-season programme is underway.
Huddersfield are expected to sign Manchester City midfielder Aaron Mooy on a permanent basis after the Australian flourished on loan at the John Smith’s Stadium last season, and he, along with Kachunga, may provide a stronger option than Depoitre.
The burly Belgian should certainly have the physical attributes to make an impression in the Premier League, but it’s likely he will rely heavily on good service from the wide areas to produce points.
But having been tracked by Tottenham Hotspur and several other Premier League clubs in the past, it’s clear Depoitre has something about him. His addition looks to be a solid piece of business by the Terriers as they seek to address an alarming lack of firepower.
