Huddersfield Town and Barnsley set to go head-to-head for 46-year-old manager | OneFootball

Huddersfield Town and Barnsley both want Michael Duff to become their new manager, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

Both Yorkshire sides have had the destination for their 2024-25 league campaigns confirmed in the past weeks. Huddersfield's relegation to League One was all-but sealed prior to the final day, but it was confirmed when they lost to Ipswich Town; a result which saw them complete back-to-back promotions from the third tier to the top flight.

Barnsley had the chance to affect their standings in the post-season, but they weren't able to get past Bolton Wanderers in the play-off semi-final, unlike the prior season.

Duff was the man that led the Tykes to Wembley in the 22-23 campaign, and he could well be leading them again in the next one. That said, Huddersfield are going to have something to say about that, as both teams look to appoint the 46-year-old after recently parting ways with their bosses.

Michael Duff wanted by Huddersfield and Barnsley

Nixon reported via his Patreon that Duff would be interested in a return to Oakwell if the job were to be offered to him.

The 46-year-old led them to the 2023 League One play-off final where they lost to Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the last minute, before moving on to Swansea City after they headhunted his services last summer.

Duff has been in the Barnsley managerial picture since they lost to Bolton Wanderers in this season's play-off semi-final, in which Martin Devaney held down the post on an interim basis.

They had attempted to appoint Dominik Thalhammer, but issues over his work permit caused that deal to collapse.

Fellow Yorkshire outfit Huddersfieldhave been alerted about the interest from Oakwell, and that has prompted their interest in the ex-Northern Ireland international once more.

They spoke to the former Swansea City boss multiple times before appointing Andre Breitenreiter, according to Nixon, but months later they are keen once more on Duff, albeit with interest from next season's League One rivals.

Michael Duff's Barnsley record

The Northern Irish manager took charge of the Tykes following a successful spell in charge of Cheltenham Town, which saw them win League Two in the 20/21 season.

Across all competitions, he took charge of 58 games during his time with Barnsley, and he won over 55% of them.

Huddersfield and Barnsley need to show transfer intent to win over Duff

One major problem that fans of both these clubs have had in recent years has been their lack of pro-activeness, or any activity in some cases, in the transfer market.

Huddersfield's squad hasn't been very strong since Carlos Corberan departed in the summer of 2022, and only the brilliance of Neil Warnock meant that they stayed in the second tier for a season longer than they likely should have.

Barnsley have sold a lot of their best players over recent seasons, including the defensive departures of Liam Kitching, Mads Andersen and Bradley Collins last summer.

The money that they recouped from these deals hasn't been fully utilised, and they're set to lose another one of their key players again this summer.

Neither of these teams are ones that Duff simply can't say no to, so they will both need to show that they are intent on growing and improving if they want the 46-year-old to be their next manager.