Michael Duff may have to choose between his previous club and the Terriers. According to journalist Alan Nixon, both Huddersfield Town and Barnsley want Michael Duff to be their new manager.
In recent weeks, both Yorkshire clubs have announced their league campaign destinations for 2024-25. Huddersfield’s relegation to League One was all but certain before the last day, but it was confirmed when they lost to Ipswich Town, giving them back-to-back promotions from the third tier to the top division.
Barnsley had the opportunity to alter their post-season standings, but they were unable to defeat Bolton Wanderers in the play-off semi-finals, unlike the previous season.
Michael Duff may have to choose between his previous club and the Terriers. According to journalist Alan Nixon, both Huddersfield Town and Barnsley want Michael Duff to be their new manager.
In recent weeks, both Yorkshire clubs have announced their league campaign destinations for 2024-25. Huddersfield’s relegation to League One was all but certain before the last day, but it was confirmed when they lost to Ipswich Town, giving them back-to-back promotions from the third tier to the top division.
Barnsley had the opportunity to alter their post-season standings, but they were unable to defeat Bolton Wanderers in the play-off semi-finals, unlike the previous season.
Duff has been linked with the Barnsley management job since the club’s play-off semi-final defeat to Bolton Wanderers this season, when Martin Devaney served as interim manager.
They attempted to appoint Dominik Thalhammer, but the agreement fell through due to complications with his work permit.
Fellow Yorkshire club Huddersfield have been made aware of Oakwell’s interest, prompting them to renew their interest in the former Northern Ireland international.
According to Nixon, they met with the former Swansea City manager several times before hiring Andre Breitenreiter, but months later, they are still interested in Duff, albeit with attention from next season’s League One rivals.
Michael Duff’s Barnsley record
The Northern Irish manager joined the Tykes after a successful tenure at Cheltenham Town, where they won League Two in 2020/21.
During his stint at Barnsley, he managed 58 games across all competitions, winning more than 55% of them.
Huddersfield and Barnsley must show transfer determination to win over Duff.
One major issue that fans of both these clubs have had in recent years has been their lack of proactiveness, or any action in some circumstances, in the transfer market.
Huddersfield’s team hasn’t been very strong since Carlos Corberan left in the summer of 2022, with only Neil Warnock’s brilliance keeping them in the second division for a season longer than they probably should have.
Barnsley has sold several of their greatest players in recent seasons, notably the defense trio of Liam Kitching, Mads Andersen, and Bradley Collins last summer.
The money they got from these deals hasn’t been completely used, and they’re about to lose another major player this summer. Neither of these teams is one that Duff can’t turn down, so they will both need to demonstrate that they are committed to growing and improving if they want the 46-year-old to be their next manager.
Leave a Reply