Karlan Grant leaves Huddersfield Town for West Bromwich Albion

It had been expected all summer long but finally, in the last 24 hours of trading for 2020, Karlan Grant has completed his move from Huddersfield Town to West Bromwich Albion.
DEPARTING: Karlan Grant has left Huddersfield Town for West Bromwich AlbionDEPARTING: Karlan Grant has left Huddersfield Town for West Bromwich Albion
DEPARTING: Karlan Grant has left Huddersfield Town for West Bromwich Albion

By standing their ground, the Championship Terriers have been able to secure a fee thought to be around £15m for the player they bought from Charlton Athletic for around £2m in January 2019.

Playing mainly as a left-sided attacker, Grant scored 23 goals in 56 Premier League and Championship appearances for Huddersfield, including at The Hawthorns last season.

The move has long been an open secret.

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Since Carlos Corberan took over as head coach in the summer the 23-year-old has been training away from Huddersfield's first team in anticipation of a move, and Baggies manager Slaven Bilic has been open in his wish to bring Grant to the Midlands.

The Terriers also expect to sell Terence Kongolo to Fulham – who, like West Brom were promoted to the Premier League in the summer – before Friday's 5pm deadline. The left-sided central defender was loaned to the Cottagers in January but broke his foot on his debut and is yet to play since. Reservations about the speed of his recovery are thought to have discouraged Sheffield United from following up their initial interest once Jack O'Connell suffered a knee injury which is expected to end his season.

Huddersfield must now decide how much if any of the revenue they receive should be reinvested in deadline day.

Already in ths transfer window the Terriers have signed centre-forward Danny Ward, right-back Pipa, centre-back Naby Sarr and loaned central midfielder Carel Eiting. They also recalled a host of players from loan spells and have recruited younger talent for their newly-formed B team.

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“We are always thinking about the (transfer) market until the market is closed,” insisted coach Corberan, who is not in charge of transfers, hours before Grant's departure. “We are going to be focused on any possibility that could appear, that was the case two days ago and two weeks ago. For us the situation hasn't changed because I've had it in mind that these deals were close to being done so we needed to be focused on the market.

“As a coach you need to be focused on trying to get the best performances from the players you have. We're trying to develop them as players and at the same time trying to make the strongest team we can with the players we have available to work with.”

Huddersfield's head of football operations Leigh Bromby explained why the move had taken so long.

“During his time at Huddersfield Town, Karlan has developed to become a much sought-after player," he said. “He has a desire to compete in the Premier League and made it clear to us that he saw his future at West Brom when they made their offer.

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“In the current climate and market, we had to be patient to ensure we got the best possible deal for Huddersfield Town, which is why this has taken time.

“We’d like to thank Karlan for all his efforts with us and wish him the best for the future.”

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