Club record signing Mounie promises to repay Huddersfield Town's faith in front of goal

Huddersfield Town's Steve Mounie (centre) in action during the pre-season friendly at The Wham Stadium, Accrington. (Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire)

STEVEN MOUNIE insists being Huddersfield Town's record signing brings no added pressure as the countdown continues towards the club's long-awaited return to the top flight.

The 22-year-old joined the Terriers from Montpellier last month in an £11.5m deal, making him Yorkshire football’s sixth most expensive import.

For Town, Mounie’s arrival marked the third time in just a few days that head coach David Wagner had shattered the club’s record fee as he looks to build a squad capable of making the step up into the Premier League.

Such a fee might weigh heavily on some players, but Mounie, who is likely to start tonight’s final pre-season friendly against Torino in Austria, is adamant that the only pressure he feels is that which fires all strikers.

The six most expensive transfers by Yorkshire clubs (Graphic: Graeme Bandeira)

“I feel the responsibility (to score goals) because I am the striker,” he said, “not because I am the record signing.

“Strikers are always under pressure to score every game and help the team to win the game. So, even if I wasn’t the record signing, I would feel these things.

“I have to score every game so, to me, being a record signing does not matter for me. I give my best on the pitch always and for the team and fans.”

Only five players have been signed by a Yorkshire club for a higher fee than the £11.5m that brought Mounie to the John Smith’s Stadium.

Rio Ferdinand leads the way courtesy of his £18m switch to Leeds United, who also spent £13m on Robbie Keane under David O’Leary.

Hull City also spent £13m to take midfielder Ryan Mason to the KCOM Stadium last summer.

Middlesbrough spent big to bring in Britt Assombalonga this summer from Nottingham Forest for £15m, ten years after splashing £12.7m on Afonso Alvez.

Of those, Ferdinand proved the biggest success – as underlined by his subsequent move to Manchester United in a then British record £30m deal – while Alvez was a big-money flop.

Judging by his efforts in pre-season, Mounie has the potential to be an excellent acquisition for Huddersfield with his 315 minutes on the pitch having already yielded three goals.