Huddersfield Town will not change, says Wagner

The Terriers return to the top flight tomorrow after a 45-year absence with a trip to Crystal Palace.

Since winning promotion via the play-offs, Huddersfield have been written off in most quarters with the bookmakers making Yorkshire’s sole representative favourites for the drop.

This, of course, often means little with Burnley, tipped to go down this time last year, finishing comfortably clear of trouble come May and Bournemouth making light of their 11,000 capacity stadium to finish 16th and ninth respectively in the past two seasons.

Wagner’s task is to emulate those success stories by keeping Town up and the German – hoping to make Barnsley full-back Andy Yiadom his tenth summer signing before travelling to Palace – is adamant that can be achieved by staying true to the identity he has instilled at the John Smith’s Stadium.

“No, we are different,” the 45-year-old said when asked if he had studied how previous favourites for the drop had beaten the odds to stay up.

“Burnley are maybe comparable, but they play a different style of football, different training regime, different manager. We have to find our own way.

“It makes no sense to try to copy something. Sometimes you hear something and it is interesting, but it is not for us. We have to find our own way.”

Asked about being favourites for relegation, Wagner replied: “I don’t care about it, to be fair. I know that we will do what we have done the whole time, and that is our best.

“We know exactly where we come from and how big the gap is financially (to many of Town’s top-flight rivals), but we have the right to play in the Premier League and we will try our best. We are excited to test ourselves.”

Wagner’s refusal to set targets last term due to believing this would place limits on his players’ ambitions is an approach that will be adopted again among the elite.

“It may be boring, but no limits has to be the message again,” added the advocate of the gegenpressing system that he brought to West Yorkshire from Borussia Dortmund in November, 2015.

“We will not change our football identity. I want people to recognise this is Huddersfield. There will be changes (to their style) at times, but we changed sometimes last season as well.

“To me, it makes no sense to change what made you strong because you are in the Premier League. We stuck to our identity against Manchester City in the FA Cup. We drew at home and got smashed 5-1. That could happen again, but we will stick to our identity.”

As was the case last summer, Town got most of their transfer business done early this summer.

Bringing in a right-back to challenge captain Tommy Smith, however, has proved more problematic with Barnsley twice rejecting offers for Yiadom.

Now, though, a breakthrough has been made and the 25-year-old was yesterday undergoing a medical at Huddersfield.

“Everybody knows I rate the player and I hope we can progress something,” said Wagner. “But there is nothing to announce yet. As long as we haven’t signed him, I cannot speak about him.”

Town stepping up their efforts to bring in Yiadom meant Dimitri Cavare being released following a trial, with Barnsley now understood to have made an approach for the French right-back.

Town head to Selhurst Park without injured trio Nahki Wells, Jonathan Hogg and Martin Cranie.

Wells, previously a target for Reading, has undergone minor surgery on an ankle problem that will keep the striker out for between three to six weeks, while Cranie (hip) is likely to be out until mid to late September.

Hogg, meanwhile, returns to training with the fitness staff next week and may appear before the international break.

Otherwise, only long-term absentee Jon Gorenc Stankovic (knee) misses the trip to south London for a game that Town fans have been counting down the days towards since the fixtures were released in mid June.

On the challenges that lie ahead both tomorrow afternoon in the capital and across the season, Wagner said: “I was more nervous when I arrived in England than now. For me, it is more or less business as usual. We played Brentford (on the opening day) last year, this time it is Crystal Palace.

“I think we have two players with Premier League experience. Does it mean something in terms of the performance on Saturday? No. Did we have experience of the play-offs? No.

“I am very happy to see on Saturday how the players react. With excitement, they are able to perform.”

Philip Billing has become the latest to extend his contract at Town, the midfielder’s new deal running until 2020 with the club having the option of another year.