Huddersfield Town gave Philip Billing a new contract in 2013 and that would go on to make the club £15 million in profit.
The past several years have been quite difficult for Huddersfield Town both in the Championship and the Premier League.
Over the past ten years, the Terriers have participated in a few campaigns in the top division and have finished at both the bottom and top of the Championship.
Consequently, a lot of players have come and gone from the football team during that ups and downs; some have left a lasting impression, while others are ones that fans will be happy to see go of.
Former midfielder Philip Billing is one player that was a very wise choice by the team, since he performed well for them before being sold for a significant profit.
Philip Billing signed a professional contract with Huddersfield Town in 2013
Huddersfield Town brought in a number of players during the 2013–14 summer to be ready for another season in the Championship. Some of the new players were experienced, while others were young and in need of more time to grow.
Even though it received little notice at the time, the club made the right decision in agreeing to a new professional contract with midfielder Billing.
The midfield player was acquired by the Terriers in the 2012–13 campaign, having previously played for Danish team Esbjerg.
Before joining the club’s under-18 squad, he went on trial with the Yorkshire side. But before agreeing to the club’s first professional deal, he made his debut for the under-21 squad.
At the age of seventeen, Billing signed a contract that was set to expire in the summer of 2017 with a one-year option to be extended by the club. The deal was first announced in October 2013.
Huddersfield made a wise choice in acquiring the player, who would later prove to be indispensable to the team and bring in a cool fifteen million pounds.
Huddersfield made £15 million from the departure of Billing
Although Billing made his Huddersfield team debut in the 2013–14 season, he didn’t really make an impression until the following year.
He made 13 appearances in the Championship during the 2015–16 campaign, and he even scored the team’s first goal.
It was evident early in that season that Billing would be a key member of the team, and he delivered the goods the next year, helping the Terriers make it to the Premier League.
| Phillip Billing’s 2016/17 stats for Huddersfield Town | |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 24 |
| Minutes per game | 50 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Goals per game | 0.1 |
| Goal frequency | 599 minutes |
| Shots per game | 1.1 |
| Passing accuracy | 28.8 (78%) |
| Key passes | 0.4 |
| Interceptions per game | 1.4 |
| Tackles per game | 1.5 |
| Stats as per Sofascore.com | |
The Danish midfielder averaged 50 minutes per game in the second tier, appearing in 24 games (13 starts) in the 2016–17 season, according to Sofascore.com.
Billing scored two goals throughout the season.
In addition to his goals, he was a major asset in the midfield, averaging 78% pass accuracy and grabbing 0.4 crucial passes out of every 90. According to Sofascore.com, he performed his defensive duties fairly well, averaging 1.5 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, and 1.5 clearances per game.
Billing may not have played much that season, but he was crucial to Huddersfield’s promotion to the Premier League. Following that, the midfielder contributed to the team’s survival in the top tier during the 2017–18 campaign and was crucial to the team’s success the following year, but he was unable to retain Huddersfield in the Premier League.
After the Terriers were demoted, AFC Bournemouth decided to seize the opportunity and paid Billing a stable fee of £15 million, which the Terriers would get in addition to the Premier League windfalls they had already got as a result of his hard work.
One of Huddersfield’s top players this year, Sorba Thomas, may be shipped off if they are demoted.
The Cherries are glad they made that decision because Billing has greatly impressed them and elevated his game. He has also gained recognition on a global scale and established himself as a vital member of the squad. One method to assess his progress from Huddersfield to Bournemouth is to look at the 18 goals and 14 assists he scored in two seasons in the Championship between 2020 and 2022—a significant rise over his Town production.
However, Huddersfield’s choice to award Billing a professional deal in 2017 proved to be the right one, as it allowed them to enjoy the player’s fantastic performances for several campaigns before he moved on and left them with a sizeable sum of money to reinvest in the team.
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