Huddersfield Town can’t risk Ben Wiles financial hit – Lee Grant and Kevin Nagle must take action | OneFootball

Huddersfield Town must ensure that they can get former Rotherham United midfielder Ben Wiles down before next summer.

Huddersfield Town have started the season well, albeit there will be slight concerns over their performance level, but one man who will remain key is Ben Wiles – and the club have to act fast in order to ensure he remains at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Having experienced a miserable 2024/25 season, following their relegation from the Championship, rookie boss Lee Grant was given his first ever managerial role by Kevin Nagle over the summer.

Grant has been given a lot of new signings and a transformed squad to work with, too, in order to try and rebuild the Terriers and push them back towards being a title challenger in League One this season.

One of the few players that is a fulcrum of the Grant era that was at the club before this summer is Ben Wiles, who joined from Rotherham United in the summer of 2023.

Wiles has remained a key man for Huddersfield, with six starts from their opening seven games of the season, albeit he was out of the squad for their recent 3-1 defeat to Bradford City – perhaps their worst performance of the campaign.

With the 26-year-old out of contract next summer, it is imperative that Huddersfield ensure he is tied down soon, due to harsh financial and sporting ramifications should he indeed depart on a free transfer.

Ben Wiles should be at the centre of anything Huddersfield build

Many supporters would argue that Ben Wiles has not yet hit a consistently brilliant level of performance for the Terriers since his move from Yorkshire rivals Rotherham.

It has been suggested that his move from the Millers was for a seven-figure transfer fee, and so the expectations were naturally high and that has perhaps clouded the judgement of many for what Wiles can and has offered.

Despite not hitting those expected heights, Wiles has remained a key man for Town and been someone who remains an all-action midfielder that is perhaps the envy of the rest of League One.

Even during their collapse towards a mid-table finish in the third-tier last season, Wiles managed to chip in with eight goals and five assists, with an exceptional first-half of the campaign.

So far in this season, the box-to-box midfielder with an eye for goal has scored twice and provided one assist as the Terriers seek to challenge for the title.

Capable of playing in the so-called ‘number ten’ position in a 4-2-3-1 or even deeper as one of the two more defensive-minded midfielder, Wiles’ intelligence, mobility and technical attributes should make him sought after, especially only at 26, and being out of contract should concern Huddersfield supporters.

Huddersfield and Kevin Nagle cannot afford major transfer mistakes

The footballing side of things is not the only issue for Huddersfield to concern themselves with, either, as it would be another example of a fairly hefty summer transfer fee almost wasted.

Things have regressed significantly on the pitch since Wiles arrived, but not because Wiles arrived, and so there has been no sporting benefit from the outlay.

If they were to then take such a financial hit on his departure for someone who would surely fetch just as much if not more than what they paid for him, then it would be negligent business.

Kevin Nagle remains well liked by the majority of Huddersfield supporters, despite a reasonable argument being that their regression has been a direct result of some of his bizarre decision-making and that the money he has poured in has been so badly spent.

Wiles is someone who is an investment that may still divide some supporters but there is a reasonable argument that an on-form Wiles is the best midfielder in League One, and Town simply can’t allow a play of that ilk to leave for nothing.