Huddersfield Town’s busy summer of recruitment continued on Tuesday with the signing of Derby County midfielder Tom Ince for an undisclosed fee, believed to be worth up to around £10 million.
The 25-year-old winger agreed a three-year deal with the Terriers, with the option of extending his contract for a further season.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Huddersfield head coach David Wagner revealed what qualities he expects the former England U21 international will bring to his side:
“Everybody in England knows that Tom has high quality; he has been one of the best players in the Sky Bet Championship for many years now. He scores goals, creates them for others and is always a threat when he’s on the pitch… He has had a taste of the division for two short spells and he is desperate to show everyone that he belongs in the top division. I think he can be a big player for us.”
The History
Ince joined Liverpool’s academy in 2008 at the age of 16, and made his professional debut as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Northampton Town in September 2010.
He was then sent out on loan to League One side Notts County, where he scored twice in six matches, before joining Championship outfit Blackpool in August 2011 after declining a contract offer to remain at Liverpool.
The midfielder enjoyed a solid first season, registering six goals and seven assists in 33 league appearances, while he also scored in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham United in the Championship play-off final.
He then took his game to another level the following year, producing 18 goals and 14 assists in 44 matches. That prompted interest from both Premier League clubs and European giants such as Monaco and Inter Milan, but he ended up joining Crystal Palace on loan.
Ince totalled one goal and one assist in eight appearances for the Eagles before joining Hull City ahead of the 2014/15 season.
He failed to settle on Humberside and, following a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, it was another loan move, this time to Derby County, that saw Ince return to form.
The midfielder scored 11 goals in 18 appearances, convincing the Rams to sign Ince for £4.75 million in July 2015. And he has continued to put up impressive numbers over the last two seasons, tallying 26 goals and 15 assists in 90 matches.
Ince played six times for England U17s and U19s, and made 19 appearances for the U21s, producing three goals and seven assists.
The Prospects
Given the significant outlay made by the Terriers on Ince, it’s expected that the midfielder will command a regular starting spot in Wagner’s starting XI.
Last season, Ince made 47 of his 50 appearances in all competitions on the right wing, but he is equally capable of operating either on the opposite flank or even in a No 10 role.
His main qualities include his shooting, crossing, dribbling and ability to pick a pass, all of which should make him an intriguing Fantasy prospect.
Last term, it was Elias Kachunga (right) and Rajiv van La Parra (left) who were the favoured options out wide for Huddersfield, with Chelsea loanees Kasey Palmer and Izzy Brown sharing playing time in the central support role in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
The Terriers announced on Tuesday that Palmer will return to the club on a second season-long loan, so he looks to be a strong contender to start in the No 10 position.
Kachunga was Huddersfield’s top scorer last season with 12 goals, so he appears more likely to find a place in the side ahead of van La Parra, although the DR Congo international hasn’t played a lot of football on the left flank.
Given the number of additions made by Wagner already this summer, it’s clearly going to be crucial to analyse the Terriers during pre-season to assess what the likely starting XI will be.
Looking at Ince’s underlying statistics from last season, he impressively averaged a shot every 27.97 minutes, slightly superior to Palmer (30.83), and significantly better than both van La Parra (43.21) and Kachunga (52.27).
Indeed, only Fulham’s Sone Aluko managed more shots (134) than the 129 Ince produced in the Championship.
While around half of Ince’s goal attempts came from outside the box, he still averaged a shot from inside the penalty area every 55.51 minutes, again superior to Kachunga (64.68), Palmer (80.94) and van La Parra (84.21).
The former England U21 international also shone as a creator, averaging a key pass every 51.54 minutes, which while slightly inferior to Palmer (47.96), was better than both Kachunga (68.14) and van La Parra (164.20).
The data certainly indicates that Ince may well be the primary option among Huddersfield’s attacking midfielders, although Palmer also looks one to monitor should he be priced favourably.
Given his production, albeit in the Championship, Ince is likely to warrant a starting price of between 5.5 and 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
With the Terriers not facing any of last season’s top seven over the opening six Gameweeks (cpl, NEW, SOT, whm, LEI, brn), members of Wagner’s side could well emerge as popular budget options.
But with latest club-record signing Steve Mounie, along with fellow forward Laurent Depoitre and set-piece ace Aaron Mooy to also consider, choosing the right target may prove difficult.
Fantasy managers will hope pre-season will provide all important clues, with Ince likely to be at the forefront of our thinking – particularly if he can wrestle some set-piece duties from Mooy.
The 25-year-old has previously failed to grasp his opportunities in the top flight, but having gained more first-team experience, he should now be ready to make an impact at this level.
Ince certainly looks to have the potential to flourish as an FPL asset, and a strong pre-season could see him emerge as a popular budget option given Huddersfield’s favourable opening schedule.
