Kevin Nagle must have Huddersfield Town transfer cringe at shock Stoke City news | OneFootball

Huddersfield Town previously missed out on a deal for Stoke City-bound midfielder Ethan Galbraith last summer

Huddersfield Town stumbled towards the finish line last campaign, with just two wins in their final ten league games resigning the Terriers to their third successive campaign in League One, but things could have been so much different had they completed a deal for a former Leyton Orient star last summer who is now worth a shed-load.

Indeed, it was a rocky year at the ACCU Stadium for Huddersfield, to say the least.

Lee Grant arrived with a huge degree of promise, having spent the previous few years with Ipswich Town and playing a background role in the Tractor Boys' rise from League One to the Premier League, as Terriers supporters hoped for a similar impact at their club.

The likes of Alfie May, Jack Whatmough, Joe Low, Ryan Ledson, and Sean Roughan all arrived on permanent deals under the watch of Grant to give the club, on paper, some much-needed upgrades across the board.

However, there was one deal that they tried to secure that Grant couldn't quite get over the line, as this signing may well have changed the course of their campaign and kept him in the job, as Huddersfield owner Kevin Nagle can only cringe at recent news regarding this player.

Huddersfield Town missed out on a £1.5 million deal with Leyton Orient for Ethan Galbraith amid £10m+ Stoke City swoop

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Huddersfield have rarely been lucrative spenders, as not since the days of the likes of Isaac Mbenza, Ramadan Sobhi, Terrence Kongolo, Adama Diakhaby, and Steve Mounie have they spent a significant amount on one signing.

In fact, Joe Taylor's £3 million arrival from Luton Town in January 2025 is as big as it has gotten for the Terriers, who have preferred to use the free agent and loan markets the majority of the time.

However, when the opportunity arose last summer to potentially bring in Northern Irish midfielder Ethan Galbraith in for around half of what they paid for Taylor, the Terriers' ears perked up.

Galbraith, 25, came through the ranks at Manchester United, and managed one senior appearance for the Red Devils before spending time out on loan with both Doncaster Rovers and Salford City.

A diminutive, technically-gifted midfielder, Galbraith joined League One outfit Leyton Orient on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, and instantly became a crucial player under Richie Wellens at Brisbane Road, making 39 league appearances in his first campaign, scoring four and assisting twice.

His role in East London would only become more crucial the year after, with Galbraith once again making 39 league appearances. But growing in confidence, he scored six and assisted six this time around, as his role in the side became a more central one as Wellens recognised his talent.

But, by this point, teams across the EFL, including Huddersfield, had stood up and taken notice of the Northern Irishman's performances, as interest in the midfielder continued to grow.

Huddersfield launched a bid worth £1.5 million for their division rivals' star asset, but it was swiftly rejected by Orient, who were not interested in parting ways with Galbraith to a division rival.

Instead, Swansea arrived with a bid incredibly similar to that of Huddersfield's, but by virtue of the fact that the Swans were in a division above, their bid was prioritised, as the Northern Irishman headed to South Wales instead.

Now, after one year in the Championship with Swansea, balancing his game time between midfield and right-back, Galbraith is poised to make yet another move, this time to Stoke City, with the Potters agreeing a fee worth north of £10 million with Swansea for his services.

Given his incredible trajectory, Huddersfield will surely regret not stumping up a fee deemed worthy of being accepted by Orient at the time, as Galbraith could have completely turned their season on its head.

Instead, Nagle must be cringing at this recent news, knowing what could have been for Huddersfield, as though they probably wouldn't be collecting a £10 million-plus fee like Swansea are right now, they almost certainly would have been better off with him in their side, as this will always be one the Terriers will regret.

Kevin Nagle must be cringing at recent Ethan Galbraith news, knowing Huddersfield missed out on a potential jackpot

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With Huddersfield preparing for another year in League One and not a whole lot of spending power, American owner Nagle must be cringing with the news of Stoke's north of £10 million bid for Galbraith.

Whilst the Northern Irishman almost certainly wouldn't have demanded that fee after another year in League One, there is every reason to believe that Huddersfield would be better off had they brought him to the club.

Instead, they must live with the fact that they missed out on his services when he was available for a relatively affordable fee, and can only hope he doesn't go on to become a bona fide superstar.