Lee Grant has given cause for optimism about Huddersfield Town‘s chances of keeping Leo Castledine.
The Chelsea loanee has been somewhat of a standout in an otherwise drab season for the Terriers, who have fallen well short of their pre-season title expectations. The 20-year-old has seven goals and an additional assist across 19 League One appearances so far.
Castledine Exit Chances Revealed
Reports from earlier this week suggested that Chelsea could recall their youngster from Huddersfield in order to sell the 20-year-old to a Championship side, with the Daily Mirror stating that the Stamford Bridge club would sanction an exit should they get a future sell-on clause.
Castledine has 18 months left on his contract with the Club World Cup Champions, meaning the upcoming January window is perhaps the best time to move on the former Shrewsbury Town loanee.
However, Lee Grant has perhaps put a dent in that speculation with his latest comments, revealing that Chelsea have not contacted Huddersfield about a potential recall for Castledine. Speaking to the Yorkshire Post about planning for an exit, Grant said:
“That will be outside of our control if that happens.
“I would very much hope that Leo would see the value in everything we’re giving him in terms of the coaching, the opportunity and the experience. I’d feel pretty secure in that.
“Chelsea are a really good club who appreciate the fantastic job we’re doing with one of their players,” said the manager. “They come and sit with me and watch training, the same with Aston Villa (Zepiqueno Redmond’s parent club) and Leicester City (Will Alves).”
Can Huddersfield Handle A Potential Recall?
Losing Leo Castledine could be a major spanner in the works in what has been an underwhelming season for Lee Grant and Huddersfield Town. The Terriers have fallen well short of their hopes going into the campaign, and have a slight gap to bridge to get back into the playoff places.
Castledine’s influence in this Town squad cannot be understated, with eight direct goal contributions being the joint most of any player in the squad, alongside Bojan Radulovic. He has been undroppable as of late, with five goals in his last six appearances.
Chelsea will be weighing up a move right now to sell their youth player, but with the way he is performing right now, it is surely worth holding out until the end of the season to see how far he develops before letting him exit for a substantial fee.