Wigan Athletic failed to land veteran Blackpool player ahead of August transfer deadline | OneFootball

A report has suggested that Rhodes was the subject of interest from the Latics in the dying embers of the transfer window

Jordan Rhodes came close to signing for Wigan Athletic before deadline day, but the Blackpool striker's move never came to fruition.

That's according to Alan Nixon, in a post from his Patreon account, stating that the 34-year-old almost made the move to Greater Manchester outfit, which would've added to his impressive portfolio of EFL clubs.

The veteran striker found himself out of the starting 11 for the Tangerines following the opening day of the season's defeat against Crawley Town, and as a result, Wigan looked to eye up a deal despite Rhodes only joining Blackpool permanently earlier in the summer.

His future at Bloomfield Road is looking brighter now, however, after the appointment of Steve Bruce, who has brought in his regular assistant Steve Agnew, who just so happens to be the uncle of Rhodes, and in Bruce's first match in charge, Rhodes grabbed the assist after coming off the bench for James Husband's winner in a 2-1 victory over Exeter City on Saturday.

Wigan Athletic wanted to land Jordan Rhodes before August 30 transfer deadline

The managerial boost could come at a pivotal time for Rhodes, as he can continue his promising start with the Tangerines, following the 2023/24 campaign on loan from Huddersfield Town. Of course, since then, Rhodes has signed permanently on a free with Blackpool.

Wigan's interest was no surprise therefore if Rhodes was to be determined as a squad player this season at Blackpool, and the Latics would've happily acquired his services judging by his incredible experience in the EFL, and his form from 2023-24 as well.

Bruce's admiration for Rhodes has put a dagger in the back of his old side, Wigan, whom he managed from 2007 until 2009 during their Premier League tenure, and had a stint back in 2001 with the Latics too.

Wigan were potentially adding to their striker options with some experience, as their three options, Joe Hugill, Dale Taylor and Josh Stones, are all 20 years of age, and they are missing an option with the pedigree and history of Rhodes.

Despite this, Hugill showed his brilliance by scoring a brace against Bristol Rovers on Saturday, which came before their interest in Rhodes was revealed this weekend.

Jordan Rhodes acquisition would've been great business for Wigan Athletic

Rhodes only signed a 12-month contract at the start of June, so his future at Blackpool was never really in question to many - Wigan's interest therefore comes as a bit of a surprise.

Wigan only really signed younger players to their squad this past summer, with the budget cut significantly by Mike Danson as he looks to make the Latics self-sustainable.

After Hugill's brace on the weekend, you'd probably point the finger at him as their main man for finding the back of the net.

But Rhodes' impact on and off the pitch could've been key for the youngster in his pursuit of getting his professional career up and running and who is better than the prolific goalscorer, who is Jordan Rhodes.

However, he talked about his future in an interview with The Gazette in June, saying that Blackpool is a great environment for him in the final stages of his career.

Wigan's interest therefore was somewhat of a surprise, but with Bruce now in charge at Bloomfield Road, expect Rhodes to play a central part to their 2024-25 season.