Centre-back Radinio Balker could make his Huddersfield Town debut against Queens Park Rangers this weekend
Radinio Balker, a new signing for Huddersfield Town, is eager to get going after leaving FC Groningen in the Netherlands.
At the end of last week, Town added a fourth new recruit to their total when they signed Rhys Healey a day later on Friday, making the center-back their third acquisition of the transfer window.
The 25-year-old defender, who played for Almere City and FC Groningen in the top two divisions of Dutch football, decided to leave his own country and inked a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Terriers.
Balker feels that his new team shares his aspirations for growth as a player, and the 25-year-old is excited to get going as they work to achieve those goals together.
Following his talks with former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Joey Pelupessy, a colleague at FC Groningen, the defender was left feeling “very excited” about his future. Additionally, he believes that Terriers manager Darren Moore, a former center back, may help him get better.
After making the transfer, the new hire spoke with HTTV, saying, “I’m happy to be here. This morning I was still in the Netherlands. I couldn’t wait to be here.”
“Let me start by saying that, in my opinion, England is the biggest football nation. When I learned about the interest in the second item, I thought, “Okay, let’s see what kind of club this is.”
“I was aware of it since I had witnessed it in the Premier League a few years prior. I gathered additional information and felt that this was a fantastic opportunity for me. I also hope that I can assist them in winning games.
“I was thrilled from the beginning, and he was too. I chatted with my dear buddy Joe Pelupessy, and he told me wonderful things about the city, the team, and the stadium.
“Of course it was very important (conversations with Moore and sporting director Mark Cartwright), because those are the people you’re going to work with every day, especially the coach. Of course it’s a plus that he was a centre-back as well. I want to improve myself, so with him as a coach, I think I can improve myself and help this team to a better time.
“It’s an amazing team, so I think the ambitions here are also to go up, and that’s for me the same. I don’t see it as a big commitment, because I just see it as something that’s normal with a club who has high ambitions as this club has.”
Balker completed his transfer on Thursday, but he was unable to play in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers because of illness when he first arrived at the team.
The 25-year-old center back is expected to play in Sunday’s pivotal match against QPR, but he was allowed to travel to Ewood Park to witness his new team in action.
