Freddie Ladapo scouting report and reaction as free agent joins Huddersfield Town

The Terriers have signed up the former Ipswich Town striker following his release

Former Ipswich Town striker Freddie Ladapo has joined Huddersfield Town.

Clubs are still permitted to sign free agents following the closure of the transfer window, and the Terriers have taken advantage of that by moving to sign Ladapo, who was given his release by Ipswich on deadline day so he could find a new club.

Ladapo has signed a two-year contract at the John Smith’s Stadium and will wear number 19. He is available for selection immediately and could make his debut against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

The 31 year old has plenty of pedigree in League One having previously played a big part in helping Ipswich and Rotherham (twice) earn promotion into the Championship.

Huddersfield Town head coach Michael Duff said in a club statement: “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.”

Sporting director Mark Cartwright added: “Freddie is a player we have been monitoring all summer, and once his contractual status with Ipswich Town was concluded, we acted swiftly to bring him to the club.

“Having been aware of Freddie’s circumstances and likelihood of becoming a free agent, we had the ability not to rush our approach under the constraints of the transfer window, but with the timing now right we couldn’t be happier to have him join.

“He has a natural ability and physical attributes we find especially exciting, as he’s a different profile of forward than we currently have available to us. Having thrived in a winning team at this level previously and maintaining that same level of ambition, his character was also a factor we believed to be a good addition to our dressing room.”

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 Town. From the very beginning, the talks with Mark Cartwright and Michael Duff couldn’t have been more positive.

“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.”

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Scouting report and reaction

We won’t lie (and can’t, given we’ve said it on the podcast): Town’s dip into the free agent market has surprised us.

They already have five strikers when all of them are fit and available, and although the club were open about their desire to sign another, the message was that they wanted to add someone better than what they already had.

There are three key considerations when it comes to Ladapo’s arrival, though.