According to reports from German news outlet Rhein Neckar Zeitung(RNZ), newly promoted Premier League club Huddersfield Town are interested in Hoffenheim’s Hungarian forward Adam Szalai.
The Terriers are living their dream at the moment after they defied all the odds to qualify for the Premier League. Coach David Wagner has been a pivotal part of their success and his Huddersfield squad is known for their unity and team spirit within the camp. He also prepared a survival camp in Sweden to help increase the bond between the players. Now, the German-American coach will look to prepare themselves for the Premier League and signing Adam Szalai could be the perfect way to start their summer transfer window.
The 45-year coach old knows a great deal about the Bundesliga and has already signed a host of players from the German top division last summer including the likes of Christopher Schindler, Jon Gorenc Stankovic, Michael Hefele, Elias Kachunga and Colin Quaner amongst many others.
It’s no wonder they have found no difficulties in finding great attackers throughout the David Wagner era. Elias Kachunga has been a real steal from Ingolstadt, as he has been the top scorer for the Terriers scoring 13 goals. Colin Quaner has also been a good signing but is yet to show his brilliance on English soil.
Adam Szalai’s arrival could be a boon for the club as the striker, once being completely written off from the Hoffenheim squad, has proved to be such an important part of Julian Nagelsmann’s offensive scheme. Much like the role of Nils Petersen at SC Freiburg, Adam Szalai is recognised as a super sub for Hoffe, and the numbers don’t disappoint either.
Szalai has played only 722 minutes this season yet he has scored eight goals, meaning a scoring rate of 96 mins per goal, better than some of the top Bundesliga strikers, including Anthony Modeste, Timo Werner and Vedad Ibisevic.
The Hungarian International is basically a predator on the pitch, who has a very good positional sense in the offensive zones. He is fairly strong in tackles, having won 48% of his headed duels. Although his pass completion rate is not great at 69%, we can’t blame him considering his playing style. He also has a crazy 80% shot accuracy as well.
Szalai is just another example of Julian Nagelsmann’s immense talent, which completely reinvigorated the Hungarian striker. His sudden breakout has forced the likes of Mark Uth, Andrej Kramaric and Marco Terrazzino to struggle hard for a place in the starting lineup, eventually improving the Hoffenheim squad ethic. Szalai has managed to deliver whenever Sandro Wagner has failed to break through opposition which really makes him an interesting figure ahead of the new season for Hoffenheim.
However, as they prepare for the Champions League, Julian Nagelsmann might look for more attacking reinforcement from the market, eventually decreasing the first team opportunities for Adam Szalai for the upcoming season. So a move to Premier League does actually make a lot of sense for the Hungarian International. As for Huddersfield, Szalai’s presence and experience will only strengthen their squad depth as they ready themselves for a completely new challenge in the Premier League next season.
