Norwich City stole Huddersfield Town's millions with £12m transfer | OneFootball

Norwich City had the last laugh in the Alex Pritchard deal with Huddersfield Town.

Huddersfield Town reached the Premier League for the first time in the club's history in 2017 after beating Reading on penalties in the play-off final, and were looking to cement themselves in the top flight with some new additions.

In preparation for the Premier League, David Wagner's side splashed the cash in the summer of 2017 to strengthen the side that had achieved promotion to the top flight.

In came the likes of Steve Mounie, Tom Ince, Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre for multi-million pound fees, among others.

The Terriers were up against it from minute one in the top flight, with many fans and pundits alike tipping them as one of the favourites to go back down.

However, against the odds, Huddersfield improbably survived, finishing four points above the relegation zone and securing the club's status in the Premier League for another season.

There were two more additions to the squad in January which helped to achieve safety, although, in the long-term, they didn't turn out to be as good as pickups as the club would have hoped.

Huddersfield Town spent big on Alex Pritchard but got little return from Norwich City deal

In came Alex Pritchard in January 2018 for around £12 million from Norwich City, along with the loan signing of Terrence Kongolo from Monaco, which would turn permanent in the summer for £17.5 million plus add-ons.

Pritchard was an exciting signing for Huddersfield, not only because of the amount of money spent on the Englishman, but because he had lit up the Championship in recent years with both Brentford and Norwich.

It was hoped that Pritchard would bring the creative flair that the Terriers were lacking in the top flight, but that was unfortunately not what transpired.

The attacking midfielder played 44 times in the Premier League, scoring just three times and assisting once as Huddersfield were relegated in 2019.

It didn't get any better in the Championship for Pritchard and Huddersfield either, as he played just 36 times across the next two seasons in the second tier, assisting once without scoring a single goal before leaving on a free at the end of his contract.

Injuries hampered the playmaker's time in West Yorkshire, it must be said, althought the reality is that he rarely delivered the goods when fully fit either, often appearing a shade of the jinky and creative talisman who had ignited the Championship at Carrow Road.

Norwich City were the winners in Alex Pritchard, Huddersfield Town transfer

It's safe to say that Huddersfield did not get value for money in the deal with Norwich for Pritchard.

For every goal Pritchard scored for the Terriers (3), it cost the club £4 million, without factoring in any wages. In terms of wages, per estimated figures from Capology, Pritchard was on £30,000 per week in the Premier League, which decreased to £20,000 in the Championship for the next three years.

That meant a significant financial outlay beyond the transfer fee, with Huddersfield getting nothing in the way of justification for their investment. Norwich, on the other hand, played a blinder by collecting such a steep sum considering what was to come with the midfielder.

Pritchard, now 32, currently plays his football in the Turkish second tier for Sivasspor, and it's doubtful, to say the least, that he will ever hit the heights he did all those years ago for Norwich.

The Canaries will be pleased they sold Pritchard when they did, whilst Huddersfield, now back in League One, will always rue his signing and wonder what could have been if they had got the best out of him.