Former Ipswich Town striker Freddie Ladapo has secured a move to League One side Huddersfield Town, signing a two-year deal.
The 31-year-old, who came through the academy system at Colchester United, joined the Blues in 2022 from Rotherham United. He played a crucial role in the side that won promotion from League One, scoring 17 goals in 46 games.
Game time was harder to come by in the Championship, although his brace off the bench to secure a comeback win against Cardiff City last September will live long in the memory.
In the end, he was sent out on loan to Charlton Athletic for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, where he scored once in 14 League One games.
It became clear that, following Town's promotion to the Premier League, his time in Suffolk was coming to an end. He featured for the club in pre-season and stayed right up until deadline day, when he was released by mutual consent to free up space in the 25-man squad.
It meant that another club could sign him without a transfer fee, which Huddersfield have now done. The Terriers, who were officially relegated from the Championship at Portman Road last season, have won three and lost one of their first four League One games of the campaign under new boss Michael Duff.
Speaking via the club's official website, Ladapo said: “I’m really happy to be here, and excited to get started and contribute to the challenge ahead.
"As a free agent you have a choice to make, but luckily for me mine wasn’t a hard one once I knew how serious the interest was from [Huddersfield] Town. From the very beginning, the talks with Mark Cartwright and Michael Duff couldn’t have been more positive.
✍️ We are delighted to confirm the signing of forward Freddie Ladapo, who joins Town as a free agent, signing a two-year contract with the Club!
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) September 10, 2024
💬 Comments from Mark Cartwright and Michael Duff ⤵️
Let's go, Freddie 👊#htafc
“The size and ambition of the club is really appealing to me, and reminds me of joining Ipswich Town in the same league. I’ve had a really good pre-season and feel great, so I just want to show the best version of myself in training and then in games for supporters, too. Having played here before, I know the atmosphere the home fans can create, so I’m looking forward to experiencing that.
“We have a squad I’m delighted to be part of with a healthy competition for places within our forwards and across the pitch. I know this division and what it takes to get out of it, and I love that we haven’t been shy about admitting that’s exactly what our collective ambition is. My job is to now play a role in that.”
Duff added: “With our numbers in attack limited through suspension and injury, Freddie’s arrival comes at a very important time for us and I’m really happy to have him. Our fixture list isn’t getting any kinder or quieter, and with a number of matches coming up against sides around us in the table, adding proven quality is never going to hurt.
“A player who has been promoted from League One three times already and been in a winning environment at other ambitious clubs, his record speaks for itself and he arrives knowing what it takes to thrive at this level and finish the season where you aspire to.
“We’re looking forward to getting Freddie involved in training alongside his new teammates right away, and we have another important fixture this weekend that I’m sure he’ll want to put himself in consideration for.”
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