Derby County are leading the race for the signature Huddersfield Town striker Jordan Rhodes, according to TEAMtalk via a post on Twitter.
The 33-year-old could join The Rams as their sixth summer signing, replacing last term’s top scorer David McGoldrick, who joined Notts County at the end of his contract at Pride Park. The former Scotland international is currently contracted at Huddersfield Town until next summer but has been limited to substitute appearances under Neil Warnock.
Who is Jordan Rhodes?
Rhodes has scored over 190 EFL goals in his career, sitting as the fourth-record scorer in Championship history. He started his career at Ipswich Town making his debut at age 17, having loan spells at Oxford United and Rochdale before having his first breakout year at Brentford, where the forward scored a hat trick within 29 minutes against Shrewsbury aged 18, subsequently being awarded PFA Fans Player of the Year despite only playing at the West London club for three months.
In the summer of 2009, his first stint at Huddersfield began after joining the club on a four year contract where he was the club’s top scorer for three seasons running, most notably hitting 36 goals with six hat-tricks in the 2011-12 season where The Terriers secured promotion to the second tier, finishing as the league’s top scorer.
Following promotion, the Oldham-born forward made the move back to the North West, signing for a then club record fee of eight million pounds at Blackburn Rovers. The striker went on to be named player of the season at Ewood Park after scoring 26 league goals for Rovers.
Continuing his second tier legacy, the front man had 15 goals in 24 appearances by the turn of the year during the 2013-14 season. Later being selected in The Football Manager Team of the Decade.
In 2016, Rhodes departed Lancashire as he made the switch to Middlesbrough during the winter window. Jordan scored 6 goals in 18 appearances for the remainder of his season at Middlesbrough. Following on, he struggled for appearances at the Riverside having only made six appearances in the 2016-17 season where Boro secured automatic promotion to the Premier League, unable to score a goal.
Struggling for minutes in North Yorkshire, Rhodes joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan in a season where The Owls finished fourth in the division before being eliminated in the play offs by his former club, Huddersfield Town. The Scotsman however made the move to Hillsborough on a permanent basis as part of the loan deal, scoring seven goals in 35 appearances before being loaned out to Norwich City where the striker found the net six times as Daniel Farke’s side won the second tier.
Returning to South Yorkshire, Rhodes managed ten goals in 57 appearances across two seasons before being released at the end of his deal in 2021 after Darren Moore’s side were relegated to the third tier.
As a free agent, the striker returned to Huddersfield Town after departing nine years prior, signing on a three year deal at The John Smith’s Stadium. The returning front man scored ten goals in 63 appearances in two seasons that saw The Terriers miss out on promotion at Wembley and narrowly avoid relegation under Neil Warnock.
What has been said?
Via a Twitter post, TEAMtalk have reported:
“Derby County are leading the chase for Huddersfield Town striker Jordan Rhodes”
Writer’s View
Reaching the twilight of his career, a move to League One could be what Rhodes needs after failing to hit double digits in the second tier in the last seven years.
Improvement in the striking department is in desperate need at Pride Park following David McGoldrick’s departure; however, in my opinion this signing is quite high risk, high reward. With wages and the age of the striker being quite a risk, if the striker is given the right environment then there is no reason that he cannot reach previous the previous heights of his career. I believe Paul Warne’s side will need more up front but the striker is a proven finisher with multiple promotions under his name. This would be a huge statement throughout the division.
