Huddersfield Town's £1m gamble failed massively - Terriers didn't see Serie A potential | OneFootball

The former Terrier certainly saw better days after he left West Yorkshire

Huddersfield Town's promotion to the Premier League in the 2016/17 season still remains one of the most shocking yet impressive campaigns in Championship history.

The Terriers had finished between 16th and 19th in the four second-tier campaigns following their promotion from League One in 2012, so to rocket up to fifth in their fifth year back and secure promotion at Wembley in the play-off final against Reading was a massive feat.

Newly promoted teams always need to improve personnel before heading into the top flight, but that counted double for David Wagner's side, especially in attacking areas.

Huddersfield had actually scored more times in the past three seasons than they had done in their promotion campaign. They ended the campaign with a negative goal difference, and the only goal they "scored" in their play-off run was via Sheffield Wednesday defender Tom Lees turning the ball into his own net in their semi-final.

Unfortunately, the Terriers never had much luck in the transfer window during their couple of Premier League campaigns. For every Aaron Mooy and Terence Kongolo, there was an Alex Pritchard and an Adama Diakhaby weighing things down.

Most of the dud signings during those two years didn't do much after leaving Huddersfield, with their stay at the formerly-named John Smith's Stadium perhaps stunting their growth. Still, Moroccan international Abdelhamid Sabiri has found his way into the top European leagues since leaving the club.

For young Abdelhamid Sabiri, the jump to the Premier League was perhaps a step too soon in his career.

The Moroccan had broken through in the German regional leagues with Sportfreunde Siegen before joining FC Nuremberg's academy, and then making an impact in the German second division during the latter stages of the 2016/17 campaign, scoring five in nine games.

This prompted the newly promoted side to spend £1 million on the then-20-year-old, as Huddersfield had hoped that they'd uncovered a rare gem who could help them stave off relegation.

And whilst the Terriers did stay up in their first season in the top flight, Sabiri didn't have nearly anything to do with it.

The midfielder contributed an assist against Leicester City in his first start in a 1-1 draw, but played just three more league games after that, appearing in more FA Cup contests during the second half of the campaign.

Evidently, Sabiri hadn't shown much growth in England, and he wasn't part of David Wagner's plans. He appeared in only two matchday squads during his second season at the club, playing just 48 minutes. His second appearance that year saw him break his collarbone against Bournemouth, which would ultimately be his final bow for the club.

When Huddersfield succumbed to relegation, Sabiri and the club mutually agreed to part ways. He left the Terriers having made just 13 appearances in two years, failing to find the net on any of those occasions.

Abdelhamid Sabiri's career post-Huddersfield Town has lived up to some expectations

Unlike the likes of Diakhaby, Pritchard, Tom Ince or Kasey Palmer, Sabiri has been able to show some top-flight potential since departing Huddersfield and the Premier League.

After leaving West Yorkshire on a free, the Moroccan landed on his feet immediately in the Bundesliga with newly promoted SC Paderborn, a club who were in the German third tier two years before and had gone back-to-back up the leagues.

Despite playing 24 times and scoring four goals, Sabiri couldn't save the underdogs from immediate relegation, and Sabiri then jumped ship to Italy, where he's stuck around since 2020.

Initially in Serie B with Ascoli, 11 goals in 43 appearances there caught the eye of top-flight side Sampdoria, and after just a few months there, perennial top-half side Fiorentina paid €4 million for his services in 2023, before loaning him back out to his former club for the rest of the campaign.

Unfortunately, the now-28-year-old hasn't found his feet at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, and has been sent out on loan to various sides in Saudi Arabia and the UAE since his move.

However, there's hope that Sabiri may be able to break into the UEFA Conference League side after he made his debut for the club this season.

His career stats don't exactly jump off the page, but given how much of an afterthought he was during his time at Huddersfield, there'll be a few shocked faces at the Accu Stadium if you were to tell them that he's currently still involved in top-flight football in Italy after his nightmare stint in the Premier League.