Unless Huddersfield Town aren’t bothered in the slightest by their players talking up transfers with a chunk of the season left to go, then it may have been a good idea for them to send a message out at the start of the international break.
Be bland. Don’t talk like the season is over, and don’t use the period as a transfer marketing exercise.
As it is, the Danish camp has this week been something of a mini marketing window for Huddersfield players.
First it was goalkeeper Jonas Lössl, who expressed his delight at links with AS Monaco and Marseille: “It’s a huge honour. These are huge clubs. Some I could only dream of playing for. It’s a pat on the shoulder and proof that I did well when I was in France and also in the past few seasons, and that I’m currently standing on a springboard to take a step I’ve always wanted. Whether it will be there will be exciting to see.
“I feel I have shown I have the level. I feel I have played two good seasons, so I’m proud. It’s not just my choice, there’s also the requirement of a club agreeing with me.”
Then it was Philip Billing’s turn.
The midfielder was as clear as he could be – as far as he’s concerned an exit is on the cards: “I have been in Huddersfield for a long time, so this summer it is time to try a new challenge.
“I’ll try something new. The Premier League is great and I love the English football culture. I know there is interest from others in the UK and abroad.”
And, given he’s looking at the exit door, he doesn’t expect to play much for Huddersfield between now and the end of the current campaign: “I think the coach is betting on those who will continue to play in the Championship next season.”
Step forward Mathias Jørgensen, better known as Zanka.
The defender has a year of contract left after this season but he may not be seeing it out.
Now, to be fair Zanka, he wasn’t quite so blunt, at least at first, and suggested the club may want him gone.
Speaking to Ekstra Bladet, the Huddersfield player explained: “I can sense which way the club goes. There’s a coach who might have a more long-term plan, and he looks at which players he would like to work with going forward, by building a new team for a future that looks like Championship. It must be accepted that the club takes the steps to ensure that it goes well in the future.”
He was then asked outright if he’ll be playing in the Championship for the club next season: “All I can say is that I have a year left of my contract this summer. And we’ll probably have a talk this summer, what the future should offer for both of us.
“Now there are some new people who sit and make the decisions, so the talk we have had before is not relevant anymore. They have not yet recruited a new sports director, but the talk must be taken within the next few months.”
After all of that, he made it clear a transfer is very much on the agenda: “It doesn’t necessarily have to be the Premier League. Playing two years in England has been a great experience, but I exclude nothing. There are many exciting football countries in the world that may be of interest to me.”
What’s Danish for last one out turn off the light?
