"I struggle to see any negatives" - Claim made as Wigan Athletic close in on Blackpool FC transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Latics fan pundit is pleased to see Ollie Norburn being set to join Shaun Maloney's squad

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Wigan Athletic have been praised for the imminent arrival of Blackpool midfielder Ollie Norburn, as Shaun Maloney looks to add much-needed experience and depth to his squad in the January transfer window.

The Latics have struggled in League One so far this season, as they currently sit in 17th place with 27 points from 23 league games so far.

Maloney's side have been inconsistent at best over the course of the campaign, with his squad stretched to its limits due to a host of injuries, particuarly in the middle of the park.

Wigan supporters, therefore, will have been pleased to learn of the club's interest in Blackpool man Norburn, who has previously featured for the likes of Shrewsbury Town and Peterborough United.

Journalist Alan Nixon has confirmed that the Latics are set to sign the 32-year-old in a quick deal, with Blackpool happy to sell, while Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke has since claimed that Norburn has passed his medical, with a move seemingly all but officially announced.

Fan pundit praises Wigan move for Ollie Norburn

Norburn has been an EFL stalwart for a number of years now, with his first professional experience coming as a youngster at League Two Bristol Rovers from 2011 to 2014.

After spells at Plymouth Argyle, Guiseley and Macclesfield Town, he joined Tranmere Rovers in 2017, and helped them win promotion to League Two via the play-offs in his only season at Prenton Park.

His 2018 move to Shrewsbury Town saw him produce some of the best form of his career in League One, as he registered 18 goals and seven assists in 116 outings across three seasons, before another step-up to Championship outfit Peterborough in 2021.

Norburn was handed the captaincy in his first season with the Posh, but only stayed at London Road for two seasons, as he joined Blackpool ahead of last season.

He was a regular under Neil Critchley in 2023/24 as the Tangerines came close to a play-off finish, but has seen his game-time heavily reduced so far this term, with just six league starts up to now, amid injury issues.

The 32-year-old looks set to join Wigan very soon, and FLW's Latics fan pundit, Corey Bissell, is pleased with his impending arrival at the Brick Community Stadium, as he will add some vital career experience to Maloney's young midfield.

“I think when it comes to Wigan signing Ollie Norburn, I struggle to see any negatives with it really," Corey told FLW.

“The chances are that it will be a six-month deal, so from now until the end of the season, and he will come in much-needed leadership and experience.

“You look at the amount of games he’s played in the EFL and League One as well, it’s a mountain of games, which our squad lacks.

“That will help significantly off the pitch, as well as on the pitch, where he’ll help share the workload with Scott Smith, Jensen Weir and Thelo Aasgaard, who, at the moment, are our only fit midfielders.

“You look at last season, the games he played for Blackpool, this season obviously he has struggled for game-time with a change of management there.

“I’m sure he will want to play more games coming into Wigan for the second-half of the season.”

Maloney's midfield has been massively hampered by injury issues over the last few months, with Jensen Weir and Scott Smith each having to play the last two games alongside each other in front of the defence, despite their lack of starts this season prior to that point.

Tyrese Francois, Baba Adeeko, Matt Smith and Steven Sessegnon have all picked up long-term injuries over the festive period, while youngster Kai Payne has also joined the list of sidelined midfielders in the last week due to knee ligament damage picked up in training.

As a result of those setbacks, Shaun Maloney recently hinted to Wigan Today that the Latics were in the market for an experienced player in the middle of the park, and they now look to have got their man with Norburn.

He said: "We might need to bring in one more in that area, someone with a bit more seniority.

"Kai unfortunately picked up an injury at the beginning of the week, and he's going to be out for six to eight weeks, so that's really bad luck. It was such a shame the way it happened...just a tackle in training that opened up that medial ligament...which was the last thing we needed.

"Sess will also be out for two or three weeks...he suffered a knee injury in the last game (against Birmingham City), which is not great. That leaves us really low in that midfield position, but that's football.

"Toby Sibbick can play there, as he did at Hearts, and Harry McHugh came on at Mansfield and showed what he can do. It wasn't a long time he was on the pitch, but he had a massive moment with the block that he made, which should give him massive confidence."

Norburn's impending arrival will represent a huge boost for Wigan and Maloney as they fight to salvage something from their season, and also need to make sure of avoiding a relegation battle.

His long history of playing in the EFL and particularly in the third-tier is sure to help both on and off the pitch, and Latics fans will be hopeful that if the deal does go through, he will be able to make an impact immediately in key games against strugglers Burton Albion and Bristol Rovers.