Why Huddersfield should avoid cashing in on Steve Mounie amidst interest

According to L’Equipe (h/t Examiner Live), Huddersfield Town striker Steve Mounie is the subject of interest from French top-flight club Nimes ahead of the January transfer window.

However, as per the report, Huddersfield are yet to confirm whether they are ready to sanction a departure for the 25-year-old hitman, who still has a contract at the John Smith’s Stadium until 2021.

With Huddersfield placed in the bottom half of the standings in the Championship and fighting hard to avoid the ignominy of back-to-back relegations, manager Danny Cowley could be forced to wield the axe on a number of first-team players in January to free up space and facilitate reinvestment. (h/t Examiner Live)

Image result for mounie" — Steve Mounie joined Huddersfield Town from Montpellier back in the summer of 2017 (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Mounie has returned from a long spell in the shadows to start three consecutive fixtures against Charlton Athletic, Wigan and Nottingham Forest in the Championship, with the Beninese international scoring his first goal for the Terriers in over ten months with a strike in the 2-1 victory over Forest at the weekend.

Cowley hadn’t really looked too keen to give Mounie a crack of the whip after taking over the reins back in September but the 25-year-old has forced his way back in the reckoning during the busy festive period, with Fraizer Campbell currently sidelined with an injury.

Campbell, who played alongside top-scorer Karlan Grant up top earlier in the campaign, hasn’t featured for the Terriers in the Championship since being substituted early in the 5-2 defeat to Bristol City back in November, and Mounie has grabbed his opportunity with both hands.

Interestingly, Mounie enjoyed a fruitful loan spell at Nimes in Ligue 2 during the 2015-16 campaign before a 14-goal season at Montpellier in the French top-flight earned him a move to Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2017.

The 25-year-old played a key role in the Terriers’ bid for survival in the Premier League during the 2017-18 season under David Wagner but a tally of 2 goals in 31 appearances in the following campaign made him one of the main antagonists in the club’s relegation from the top-flight.

Nevertheless, Huddersfield Town would be better off resisting the temptation to cash in on him during the January transfer window.

Indeed, the Terriers need to get rid of the deadwood in their ranks to trim down their wage bills and raise funds for Cowley to reshape his squad, but offloading too many players in a single transfer window might have a negative impact in terms of disrupting the balance of the squad.

Notwithstanding the fact that the 25-year-old has offered little in terms of goal contributions over the past twelve months, it is worth reminding that the Beninese star has risen to the occasion to deliver the goods in a crisis period for Huddersfield.

Verdict

The Terriers have already been hit with several injuries in a crucial period of the season and parting ways with Mounie in January could aggravate the situation.

Karlan Grant continues to be the key man up top and Mounie certainly has the attributes to extract the best out of him, given his towering 6ft 3in frame and obvious pedigree in the air.

With the 25-year-old enjoying a sudden resurgence under Cowley in recent weeks, the strike partnership of Mounie and Grant has looked threatening. Huddersfield must look to sell some of their other assets if they are genuinely interested in raising funds.

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To that end, Huddersfield would be wise to avoid cashing in on Steve Mounie in January, unless, of course, a massive offer is put on the table which they simply can’t turn down.