Blackpool have received a major boost ahead of their push for the League One play-offs following the news that talisman Jordan Rhodes will remain at the club for the rest of the season.
The 33-year-old arrived at Bloomfield Road in the summer on a season-long loan deal from Championship outfit Huddersfield Town. He has been a huge hit at the Lancashire club and is currently tied with Charlton Athletic’s Alfie May as the division’s top goalscorer on 15.
His form had led to speculation that his parent club could look to trigger the recall clause in the deal as they battle to survive in the Championship. The Terriers brought in Darren Moore to replace Neil Warnock in September following the 75-year-old’s resignation, but the arrival of the former Sheffield Wednesday boss has failed to halt their slide down the table.
Huddersfield currently sit just one place and three points above Sheffield Wednesday in the final relegation spot, with the Owls having hit form under the stewardship of Danny Rohl. As such, it was rumoured that Rhodes could be brought back into the fold to lead the line at the John Smith’s Stadium.
It now appears as if the former Scotland international will complete his stint at Blackpool, with manager Neil Critchley confirming the news ahead of tomorrow’s EFL Trophy clash against Burton Albion. Via Blackpool Gazette, the 45-year-old said:
“The window in which Huddersfield have to recall him has now passed, so he’ll be here until the end of the season- which is a bonus.
“He’s been fantastic for us on and off the pitch, and I know that Jordan has been enjoying his time here and wanted to stay. It was of paramount importance that he stayed, and thankfully he has.”
Continuing, Critchley revealed that he had spoken to Rhodes regarding the situation, whilst also counting down the days until the recall clause expired:
“Jordan and myself spoke last week about the situation, and he’d had a little bit of information, but until Sunday night we were in the dark a little bit. I was just thankful that when I woke up on Monday morning that Huddersfield hadn’t recalled him- it was a good start to the week.
“We’re delighted, we knew when the window was, so there’s always an element of doubt and uncertainty during that period. I had a mental calendar crossing the days off.
“It would’ve been difficult to replace him because of the number of goals he’s scored, but we’ve got other good strikers here as well- we’ve just been unfortunate that Kyle (Joseph), Kylian (Kouassi), Jake (Beesley) and Shayne (Lavery) have all been injured.”
Blackpool currently sit eighth in League One, four points behind sixth-placed Barnsley. They host struggling Exeter City on Saturday as they look to keep the pressure on the teams above them.
Writer’s View
It looked at one point as if Jordan Rhodes’ return to Huddersfield was all-but-confirmed, a view clearly shared by Blackpool boss Neil Critchley. It’s odd that the Terriers didn’t communicate their decision, especially because they would’ve known just how much it would have impacted the League One club if they did decide to recall the attacker.
The Seasiders can now focus on tomorrow’s EFL Trophy match knowing that they will retain the services of the prolific striker until the summer at least.
Head of Writing
