Former Huddersfield Town attacker Alex Pritchard has suggested that he does not know as of yet where his long-term future will be this summer, following his release from the Terriers.
Pritchard was one player that Huddersfield confirmed would be leaving the club when they released their retained list at the end of the campaign.
The 28-year-old was down the pecking order with the Terriers after a couple of difficult seasons with the Yorkshire club. He failed to replicate the sort of form he had done in the past in the Championship with Norwich City and Brentford.
The attacking midfielder was linked with a potential move to QPR during the January transfer window, while Bristol City have also previously been credited with a potential interest in him.
Derby County are the latest side to have reportedly joined the clubs looking at Pritchard this summer. Birmingham City, despite initial reports, are now thought not to be considering making a move.
Speaking to The Athletic, Pritchard suggested that he does not know where his long-term future will be this summer, and insisted that he is waiting to see where he ends up as much as anyone else.
He said: “Every year I’d go away on holiday and wouldn’t think about it, because I’d get told to come back whenever pre-season starts. This time, I haven’t got that message. I don’t know where, or when, I’m going.
“It’s hard. It’s scary. It’s exciting. It’s nerve-racking — because people ask questions and I don’t have answers. I have family members asking me and I don’t know! We’ll see.”
The Verdict
Pritchard is a player that still has plenty to offer in the Championship and he is a player that if a club can get a hold of and put in the right environment could well still be a major asset. The likes of Derby, QPR and Bristol City might all be able to potentially benefit from a player with his quality and with finances tight this summer a deal for a free agent could well appeal.
It is clear that Pritchard is likely going to have to alter his wage demands from what he would have been on at Huddersfield. He went to the Terriers as one of the best performing attacking midfielders in the Championship, but he failed to deliver as much quality as they would have been hoping for when they made a move for him.
The 28-year-old is heading into what should be the prime years of his career, and if he could stay injury-free should still have a good few years left at a high level. He is surely someone that is going to be worth a side in the English second tier taking a gamble on this summer and whoever gets him might be rewarded handsomely if they can get the best out of him.