Trio commit as Huddersfield Town make step up in quality

Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner. Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA

Tommy Smith, Jonathan Hogg and Rajiv van La Parra have signed deals to stay until 2020, with the club having an option to extend all three deals by an additional 12 months.

“All three players were so important to the team last season,” said Wagner, who last week tied down Elias Kachunga and Chris Lowe to similar contracts. “They have shown they are great Championship players. Now they have to prove they can do it in the Premier League. This is the next step for them and the next step in our journey.”

Wagner is expecting his side’s preparations to step up a gear tonight with a friendly against Bundesliga 2 side SV Sandhausen in Germany.

Huddersfield Town's Jonathan Hogg. Picture: Simon Bellis/Sportimage

Victories over League Two Accrington Stanley and third-tier Bury, the latter watched by more than 2,000 Town fans at Gigg Lane on Sunday, have proved useful warm-ups for Yorkshire’s sole top flight representative in 2017-18.

Wagner, however, anticipates a much tougher challenge tonight at Sandhausen’s BWT Stadion against a team whose domestic league campaign kicks off a week on Sunday with a trip to Holstein Kiel.

“They are only 10 days away from the start of their league season,” said Huddersfield’s German coach ahead of meeting a team who finished 10th last term, their highest placing.

“It will also be very hot in Germany.

“This will be the next step in match fitness. It will be another step forward in terms of the strength of our opponent. We have to take that step forward in performance, also.”

Joe Lolley (groin), Joel Coleman (groin) and Nahki Wells (ankle) all missed Sunday’s 3-1 win at Bury with niggling injuries as Wagner continues his policy of not risking any player with even the slightest of strains.

Of those, Coleman is expected to return, in goal, along with Mathias Jorgensen, who attended his sister’s wedding over the weekend.

“We have to make sure everyone is healthy,” added Wagner, who is not expecting any activity in the transfer market this week amid on-going interest in Barnsley’s Andy Yiadom. “Even if they have only a small injury or risk then I will not do it.”