SIMON GRAYSON has a list of Huddersfield Town signing targets and promised: “We want to strengthen the squad quickly.”
The John Smith’s Stadium boss has cash to spend following the £8m departure of Jordan Rhodes and is looking to beat tonight’s 11pm deadline with at least one new arrival.
While tomorrow’s opponents Ipswich will pocket around £700,000 from Town’s sale of their former player Rhodes – they had a 10% of any profit sell-on clause – Grayson believes the quality of the players he is after will help Town fulfil their ambitions in the Championship.
“I am sure we will be linked with all sorts of people, and I have got a list in place of players I’d like to go for should we lose Jordan Rhodes to another club,” said Grayson, who is working alongside chief executive Nigel Clibbens and the club’s new head of football operations, Ross Wilson, to try and conclude deals.
“It’s a list I’ve been putting together over the last three or four weeks and we will try and strengthen the squad very quickly.
“The great thing is that we already have a good squad here, but we would like to replace Jordan with a couple of signings if possible – and these are not just people to be part of the 18 but people who will affect the team in a positive way.”
Leicester City’s Jermaine Beckford, who played under Grayson at Leeds, and Dundee United’s Johnny Russell are among the leading candidates to join Town, but Grayson confirmed Premiership players were being offered to him by clubs and agents.
“I’m working for a football club which is ambitious and progressive and, bearing in mind we knew there was a possibility something might happen on Jordan, I’ve been working very hard already to get a few possible targets in place,” he said.
“Hopefully, now, we’ll be able to get one or two of those over the line before the deadline, but our money will not be spent stupidly.
“You can invest in different ways, either through transfer fees or wages, and we have to be wary of clubs sticking another zero on the end of their valuations – so we have to spend wisely.
