Huddersfield Town will be rewarded in time for their all-round investment in Jordan Rhodes – because he seems a shoo-in for an eventual move to the Premier League.
Hull City and former Town manager Steve Bruce were hot on Rhodes’ trail last week, but Blackburn Rovers were quick to say the prolific 24-year-old striker is going nowhere in this transfer window.
Town – who sold Rhodes to Ewood Park in a club-record £8m deal in August 2012 – stand to collect 20% of any profit Rovers make on the Scotland international, who was left out of Gordan Strachan’s squad to face Germany next month.
That sell-on clause was a sound piece of business from Town, because Rhodes is already rated at £12m-plus – so the Leeds Road club could get a windfall of close to £1m should he, as expected, move on to bigger things either later this season or in the next few years.
Rhodes’ scoring record in phenomenal and, when he left Town following their play-off promotion win over Sheffield United, he’d just hammered 40 goals in the campaign.
What makes him attractive to top-flight clubs is his movement, finding space beyond defenders in the box and being in the right place at the right time.
He has pace, too, and a real eye for a strike which can turn even even a glimmer of a chance into a goal.
Rhodes has shown that quality at every level – including international – and there seems little doubt he will make a big move before too long.
Town will deservedly benefit at that time, because not only did they pick him up when he was on the sidelines at Ipswich for an initial fee of just £350,000, but they coached him through three years at the John Smith’s Stadium and helped make him one of the most talked about strikers in the lower divisions.
At the weekend, Rovers boss Gary Bowyer lavished praise on Rhodes for putting aside Hull’s interest in him to inspire Blackburn to a 3-2 win over Bournemouth.
He marked his 100th Rovers appearance by scoring his 54th goal, just hours after the east Lancashire club had issued a statement declaring he was not for sale, with the Tigers having seen two bids already rejected.
Bruce might be tempted to test their resolve again, though, after Rhodes clinically converted his first chance of the afternoon to score Blackburn’s 13th-minute opener.
Rovers captain Grant Hanley and Rhodes’ strike-partner Rudy Gestede then made it 3-0 inside the opening half-hour before Bournemouth tried to stage a late fightback which proved ultimately unsuccessful.
However, Bowyer reiterated his prized asset will remain at Ewood Park and lauded Rhodes for focusing on his football.
“He’s not for sale - the owners have said,” Bowyer insisted.
“The lad’s been magnificent, I cannot praise him highly enough. He’s gone on another level in terms of how he is. I kept in constant communication and asked him how he was - he said, ‘I want to play’.”
The news that Blackburn’s Indian owners are willing to reject Hull’s millions - especially with the club struggling to meet Financial Fair Play regulations - was delivered in timely fashion for their fans before the game.
