With all the new faces arriving for high fees at Huddersfield Town hogging the headlines - no pun intended - it's flown somewhat under-the-radar just how efficiently the club have gone about retaining the talent that got them in to this position in the first place.

It's only fair, given their achievement, that they should be rewarded in kind, with their Premier League wages inevitably a damn sight more handsome that what they were pocketing as a Championship side. We've spent all summer being told just how much money the club stand to make out their newfound top flight status, so it only seems fair that those involved are given their own sliver of that particular pie.

Money isn't the most important thing here, though, despite that being what will catch most people's attention. What we mustn't do is lose sight of the values and approach that saw Huddersfield overcome various hurdles last season, and create the positive atmosphere at the club as we enjoy it today.

Central to their success was squad harmony, mutual respect and a shared desire to propel the club in to the unknown, punching above their weight as a whole and a collective, rather than individuals. Town didn't have the most star studded Championship squad, and certainly can't boast some of the household names we're due to encounter in the Premier League, but what stood them apart was how they fought and played for one another as a team - failure to invest in that would've been criminal.

To date, the likes of Christopher Schindler, Jonathan Hogg, Christopher Lowe, Tommy Smith, Philip Billing, Michael Hefele and Rajiv Van La Parra have all reaffirmed their commitment to Huddersfield Town, amongst others.

With the manager also putting pen to paper on his own new deal, it appears that the main cast from last season seem determined to finish what they started in getting Town promoted in the first place, and show the Premier League what they're about - together. That sense of continuity and momentum isn't just theoretical, either; just ask Crystal Palace.

While it's somewhat unfair to judge Palace too harshly on the evidence of one match, what it did show was just how important familiarity and identity can be to a performance.

With a new coach, new way of playing in no way comparable to what has come before and fresh faces occupying new positions, Crystal Palace were short in exactly the same intangible areas that Huddersfield couldn't have been stronger in - Town knew what they were doing, how it should be done, when and by who. Their opponents seemed like eleven strangers in comparison, plucked from the crowd and banded together on the fly.

Pic by James Griffiths / Griffiths Photographers Premier League Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town Selhurst Park 12-08-2017 David Wagner Huddersfield Town manager

Without retaining the players Town have - and by extension, the spirit - the new signings the club have introduced may have felt like it was their first day at school again, rather than being accepted in to a family. With all that the team will come against this season, both on and off the field, it can't be understated just how important it is to have safeguarded that foundation for another campaign.

Harmony may appear to be a fluffy concept from the outside looking in, but there's no coincidence that the clubs with ongoing internal differences are the ones who suffered most on the opening weekend. Liverpool, with Coutinho seeking an escape route, faltered away to Watford, who'd they otherwise have expected to beat.

West Ham, who don't seem to know whether they're coming or going, capitulated against a Manchester United side who finally seem to have found common ground. Newcastle folded against a Tottenham team who may not have made any signings, but have maintained the spine of a side who've probably been the best team in the country over the past two seasons.

Most tellingly, the champion Chelsea side who can't seem to go five minutes without fresh scandal were felled, at home, by Burnley, who took advantage of two red cards to band together and hold out for the win. Roman Abramovich likely has the capital to buy Burnley if he so desired - and that's the town, not the club - but that didn't matter a jot when the two teams came face-to-face at the weekend.

When people like David Wagner talk about spirit and identity it can sometimes roam in to the realm of buzzwords and catchphrases, but that doesn't for a second detract from its validity or impact.

It would be foolish not to acknowledge the business of the new contracts, too. While in the Championship, it was easier to keep to ourselves just how good the likes of Aaron Mooy and Christopher Schindler are, especially with the questionable level of coverage and punditry that accompanied the club.

In the Premier League, however, these will be names and players that will soon have suitors with far deeper pockets than you or I could imagine, and having them signed up on long term contracts will put the club in the best position possible of being rightly remunerated when those offers do inevitably come tumbling in. Safeguarding the financial future of a club like Huddersfield isn't defeatist, but appropriately pragmatic, and is yet another sign of just how far the club have come in such a short amount of time.

Steve Mounié celebrates scoring Huddersfield Town's second goal against Crystal Palace with team mates.
Steve Mounié celebrates scoring Huddersfield Town's second goal against Crystal Palace with team mates.

Town couldn't have asked for much more out of last season, so there is an element of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' about keeping these players together for as long as physically possible. And, as the old saying goes: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard - if they ever needed a case study to prove that right, they needn't look any further than Huddersfield Town.

No matter what, the club can be extremely proud of that, just as their fans are.

You can follow Raj Bains on Twitter over on @BainsXIII , and his Huddersfield Town book Underdog is being published in October 2017. It is available to order now, with the opportunity to have the name of your choice printed in a fans list at the back of the book. Please visit www.gnbooks.co.uk or call 01274 735056.