Blackpool need to push for another Huddersfield Town transfer agreement but Terriers may disagree: Opinion | OneFootball

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Jordan Rhodes was on the scoresheet for Blackpool once again as they drew with Oxford United on the weekend.

Oxford had the lead heading into stoppage time thanks to a first-half strike from Greg Leigh only for Rhodes to make it 1-1 in the 92nd minute.

Liam Manning’s side have won nine of their 12 League Outings thus far and so this was a great result for Blackpool all things considered.

Rhodes, who is on loan at Bloomfield Road from Huddersfield Town, continues to go from strength to strength in the orange and white, with that in mind, it makes sense for Blackpool tp pursue a permanent deal for his services when January rolls around.

How is Jordan Rhodes performing at Blackpool thus far?

That aforementioned goal from Jordan Rhodes against Oxford was his eighth of the campaign to date which has tied for second across the whole of the division.

Rhodes is joined on eight goals by Colby Bishop, Dion Charles, Jamie Reid and Alfie May whilst Barnsley’s Devante Cole leads the way with nine.

Rhodes’ strike at the Kassam makes it three games in a row with a goal and seven in his last five outings.

Looking at the Blackpool squad and the duo of Kenneth Dougall and Shayne Lavery are closest to him in the scoring charts with just two apiece.

Not only has the 33-year-old already surpassed the tally that he notched for Huddersfield Town last season but he is more than halfway when it comes to minutes played as well.

19 of Rhodes’ 34 Championship appearances in 2022/23 came as a substitute which is similar to his return the year prior and the likes of Jack Rudoni and Kian Harratt are tasked with scoring the goals this time around.

Focusing on his current club though and Rhodes is the difference maker week-in, week-out.

Blackpool have won five of the games that he has found the back of the net in, drawing the other two.

The standout both from an individual perspective and that of the team was the 4-1 drubbing of Reading on home soil. Rhodes scored a hat-trick with 20-year-old Kylian Kouassi opening his account for the season in that one-sided win as well.

Neil Critchley’s side remain in seventh in League One after the draw with Oxford due to the fact that eight-placed Wycombe Wanderers also dropped points in a 2-2 tie with Peterborough United.

Only two points lie between them and newly promoted Stevenage in the final playoff spot and Oxford, who are in second, are eight points ahead of Blackpool. All is still to play for when it comes to the push for promotion.

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Could Rhodes still be of use to Huddersfield?

As previously noted, Rudoni and Harratt, who are just 22 and 21 respectively, are the players getting the chances to lead the Huddersfield line.

At the time of writing, Rudoni has three goals to his name in the league and Harratt has two and so the Terriers' troubles in front of goal may be the one thing that holds Jordan Rhodes back from joining Blackpool on a permanent deal.

That duo are both clearly young whereas Rhodes is in the latter stages of his career, something which new Huddersfield boss Darren Moore may view as invaluable when it comes to fighting to avoid relegation down to League One.

The current loan deal that has Rhodes at Blackpool will last until next summer but there may be some back-and-forth between the two clubs ahead of the January transfer window.

Blackpool must try to secure his services permanently although Huddersfield could recall him to help turn their fortunes around.

From the player’s point of view, one would imagine that Bloomfield Road would be the preferred destination given his form in front of goal and the trust being put in him by Pools’ manager Neil Critchley. Rhodes' future should be in his own hands, thus meaning he would stay put.