Kamberi, Russell, Rhodes: The main Huddersfield Town talking points as January looms | OneFootball

It looks set to be an important January transfer window for Huddersfield Town, with the club struggling in the Championship relegation zone.

The Terriers currently sit bottom of the table and returned to Championship action with a 1-0 defeat to second-placed Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday. While it was a narrow defeat and a spirited performance against the Blades, they struggled to create any real opportunities and now find themselves six points from safety.

Mark Fotheringham replaced Danny Schofield at the John Smith’s Stadium in September and while the Scotsman has significantly tightened up Town’s defence, he has only managed three wins from his 12 games in charge so far.

The main problem has for Fotheringham has been his side’s attacking issues. They are the joint-lowest scorers in the league along with Cardiff City, having managed just 19 goals so far this campaign.

With their desperate position in the league, it is likely that Fotheringham will want to make changes to the squad in January as he looks to stamp his mark and strengthen for the survival fight. But with the window fast approaching, what is the latest on some of the potential incomings and outgoings at the club?

Florian Kamberi

One player who will definitely be arriving in West Yorkshire next month is striker Florian Kamberi.

The 27-year-old currently plays in his native Switzerland with Winterthur, where he has scored one goal in 13 appearances, but joined the Terriers in Marbella during the World Cup break.

Kamberi, who has also had spells with Grasshoppers, Hibernian and Rangers, spent last season on loan with Sheffield Wednesday in League One, scoring five goals in 27 games during his time at Hillsborough.

He also worked with Fotheringham previously when the 39-year-old was assistant at German side Karlsruher and the manager confirmed they will be reunited at Town, hoping that his knowledge of the player can get the best out of him.

“I knew him at Karlsruher and he’s done well in Switzerland and exploded at Hibs,” Fotheringham told Yorkshire Live.

“We want to get an arm around this kind of player and get him firing again and we maybe need to introduce players who can grab goals in all areas of the pitch, and Florian can contribute as well.”

But Kamberi’s goalscoring record does not make for great reading and there are question marks over whether he can be the prolific striker the Terriers need.

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Jon Russell

While Kamberi will be coming in, one who is almost certainly heading out the exit door is midfielder Jon Russell.

It has been a surprise to see the 22-year-old’s game time so limited this season after being such an integral part of the team that made the play-off final last season under Carlos Corberan.

Russell was a regular under Schofield at the start of the campaign, but fell out of favour following Fotheringham’s arrival and he has not played since early October, frequently missing out on the matchday squad altogether.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Corberan is keen on bringing Russell to his new club West Bromwich Albion and Fotheringham indicated that he would be happy to let him go.

“Jon’s a good lad, he’s just found it hard under me. I gave him his start at Reading and it didn’t quite work out and I just feel with Etienne, Diarra and these players, I can’t hold them back any longer, and they’ve forced their way into this team,” Fotheringham told Yorkshire Live.

“I’ve also got to analyse what happened at the start of this season when there was only [two wins] from 11 or 12 games and now I’m winning games with these young players, and they’re coming on and impacting games. I just feel that I need to keep pushing them.

“I wish Jon all the best in his career and I hope that he finds a really good solution for himself in January.”

Jordan Rhodes

Another player who could be following Russell out of the club is striker Jordan Rhodes.

Rhodes returned to Town last summer, but has struggled to find his form, scoring just four goals last season.

He has four goals to his name this campaign and although he has featured in all of Fotheringham’s games so far, his starts have been infrequent.

It feels as though Rhodes’ prolific goalscoring days are behind him, but it would be tough for any striker in the current Town side and if given the service, his track record suggests he could still do a job.

Alan Nixon reports that another of Rhodes’ former clubs Ipswich Town are interested in bringing him back to Portman Road as they look for promotion from League One.

Fotheringham refused to deny reports that Rhodes could be allowed to leave in January and even suggested that the Tractor Boys are the kind of club that he would be perfect for.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Jordan’s had interest because he’s come into that stage of his career where he just knows what it’s about in all the leagues. He’s got great experience in clubs that are trying to get promotion from League One and are looking for that extra nous or experience,” Fotheringham told Yorkshire Live.

“It’s just been unfortunate for Jordan that he just can’t find the back of the net. He’s putting real demands on himself in training, he’s working hard and he’s trying everything we’re asking from him, but unfortunately he’s just not had the impact we’re expecting from him.

“So as I said, we’re looking to do business in January ourselves but we haven’t got big funds where we can go out and sign players, so we just need to gauge the temperature going into January and take it from there.”