Football
Nick Miller, ESPN.com writer 7y

Huddersfield playoff win a 'fairytale' like Leicester title triumph - Wagner

Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner believes his side winning promotion from the Championship would be a similar "fairytale" to Leicester winning the Premier League last season.

Huddersfield face Reading in the Championship playoff final on Monday -- where they can return to the top flight for the first time since 1972 -- in a game estimated to be worth at least £190 million to the winner.

Wagner's side have been one of the Championship's surprise success stories, as last season they finished 19th and were in danger of relegation, so few expected them to challenge near the top of the table this term.

However former U.S. international Wagner, who was part of Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund coaching staff before he moved to Huddersfield in November 2015, has fashioned a promotion-chasing side from a collection of shrewd imports and loans that now stand on the brink of the Premier League.

"We are still Huddersfield Town, even if we're in the final," Wagner told a news conference when he was asked if his team were the underdogs against Reading. "Nearly everybody -- not only in this town, but in England, maybe in Europe -- hopes that this fairytale comes to a happy end. Only if you're a Reading supporter, maybe not.

"This is a second fairytale in a row, after what happened with Leicester last season. We're part of it, and we want to get it over the line. Leicester have shown it is possible. It's similar if you compare their budget with the teams they finished ahead of, and our budgets with the other teams in the Championship."

With Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Hull coming down from the Premier League, as well as teams like Aston Villa, Norwich and Derby, plus the defeated playoff semifinalists Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday to contend with next season, this might be the best chance a side like Huddersfield will have of gaining promotion.

"We know this is maybe a once-in-a-lifetime chance for our players," Wagner said. "Usually Huddersfield Town players have no chance to be involved in the Premier League, but now they have a real chance.

"It was a 'vision' 10 months ago -- I prefer to speak about visions rather than 'dreams,' because it's a step we're taking, in a dream you wake up and you don't know what's happening. Around Christmas this vision changed from a chance, and now it's changed to a reality, and we're one step away from the Premier League."

Wagner, who turned down the chance to manage Bundesliga side Wolfsburg earlier in the season, has been linked with a number of clubs in recent weeks, including Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace, Hull and Sunderland.

"Don't forget the German clubs! And I'm still here!" he said when asked about those links.

Wagner added that such speculation will not be distraction for his side.

"I told the players to 100 percent focus on what is in front of you," he said. "It makes no sense to waste your energy on anything else. After the final whistle, anyone can think about anything they like. This is the 54th game we'll play this season, and the last one is the biggest one."

Monday's final could be decided by a penalty shootout, but just as before the semifinal, Wagner said his players have not practiced spot kicks as he is confident enough in his goalkeeper -- Danny Ward, on loan from Liverpool -- and forwards to do the job.

"If we need a penalty shootout with this goalkeeper and these players, I'm not worried," he said.

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