Huddersfield Town CEO Dean Hoyle has claimed that Carlos Corberan would still be the Terriers manager if they'd finished 10th in the Championship last season.

The Yorkshire club surprised many by making it to within 90 minutes of Premier League promotion in 2021/22 – reaching the play-off final at Wembley only to be beaten by Nottingham Forest.

In a shock move, Corberan left Huddersfield earlier this month amid a reported disagreement over future ambitions.

First team coach Danny Schofield has stepped up to replace the Spaniard permanently as the club look to move forward but days out from the Terriers' 2022/23 Championship opener against Burnley, Hoyle has made an intriguing claim about the former head coach.

Speaking to Radio Leeds, the Huddersfield CEO suggested that Corberan would still be at the club if they'd been less successful last season.

"Personally, I had no inclination," said Hoyle, reflecting on the Spanish coach's resignation. "In fact, I was actually in Calais approaching the Channel Tunnel when I first found out. By the time I'd got to Folkestone, he'd already gone.

"So, my view is quite simple. I think the season we finished 20th and he was perfectly aligned. Last season, we could've finished 10th and I'm sure Carlos would've been aligned.

"We finished third, and I think Carlos had different alignments for his won personal ambition than what the football club did.

"That is not to say we wouldn't and haven't got aspirations or ambitions to get promoted but Carlos, he's said that and you'd have to ask him personally.

"My view is that if we'd have finished 10th last season then Carlos Corberan would've still be our manager."

Corberan's has not been the only high-profile departure at the John Smith's Stadium this season as key duo Lewis O'Brien and Harry Toffolo both left to join Forest later in July.

The Verdict

This is an intriguing claim from Hoyle but one that's fairly hard to disagree with.

It seems Corberan felt that with the resources and backing he had at Huddersfield, improving on last season's achievements was not achievable and decided it was time to leave the Yorkshire club.

The Spaniard's exit was far from ideal timing – coming less than a month out from the start of the new season – but appointing from within should lessen that blow and allow some continuity.

Schofield appears to be a coach that the club rate highly, with Leigh Bromby suggesting previously he'd been lined up as the replacement for some time, but following on from Corberan is going to be tough.