What Huddersfield Town transfer target Tyreece Simpson would bring as new striker option

It’s always exciting to see your club linked to a centre forward, so there was intrigue around Huddersfield Town fans when Ipswich Town’s Tyreece Simpson was linked with a transfer move to the John Smith’s Stadium. So what would the Terriers be getting if a deal could be struck?

As we noted when reporting the transfer link, Simpson’s shot conversion rate of 18% while on loan with League Two Swindon Town last season was slightly better than either Danny Ward (16.8%) and Jordan Rhodes (16%) managed in the Championship for Town last campaign.

Simpson’s shot accuracy was also better, with 46% of his efforts hitting the target compared with 45% for Ward and 40% for Rhodes. That accounts for his nine goals in 25 appearances – a very respectable return for a player in his first season of regular senior action.

Both the stats and the footage suggest Simpson likes to get close to goal before taking his shots wherever possible. Three of his nine goals for Swindon last season were tap-ins from point-blank range having got free of his man to convert balls across the box.

Those kinds of chances, in particular, are harder to come by in the Championship, but there’s a reason that Simpson was able to score them. The clips we saw indicate a player who is willing to either drop deep and play with his back to goal, or drift out into the channels to stretch defences and create space for teammates.

That helped him claim exactly one assist or key pass (pass leading to a shot by a teammate) per appearance in the fourth tier last season, but was also an asset in helping him score goals himself. There is more than a touch of the Danny Ward about his willingness to do the unselfish part in the build-up and then put himself in the box to