Wigan Athletic poised to complete transfer for Blackpool midfielder | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic are reportedly closing in on the addition of Blackpool midfielder Ollie Norburn

Wigan Athletic are set to sign Blackpool midfielder Ollie Norburn in a bid to bolster their engine room options.

That's according to journalist Alan Nixon, who has revealed that Latics boss Shaun Maloney has made a shock swoop for the 32-year-old Tangerines man, and expects the deal to be completed quickly.

Grenada international Norburn is currently out of favour at Bloomfield Road, having made just eight League One appearances, and he will now be able to move on to a club that is suffering in terms of depth in the middle of the park.

Wigan Athletic swoop for Blackpool midfielder Ollie Norburn

Wigan have already overseen a busy January transfer window so far, as the likes of former Carlisle United stalwart Jon Mellish, Arsenal academy product Josh Robinson and striker Will Goodwin - signed on loan from Oxford United in a move first revealed by Football League World - have all joined the club.

Meanwhile, both forward Joe Hugill and full-back Calvin Ramsay were recalled from loan spells at the Brick Community Stadium by parent clubs Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, while the latter has since been deployed on loan once more, this time to Scottish Premiership outfit Kilmarnock.

Another Latics departure also took place earlier this month, when youngster Josh Stones joined National League promotion challengers York City in another deal broken by FLW.

But the Greater Manchester outfit now look set to welcome their latest arrival at the Brick Community Stadium, with Blackpool's experienced midfielder Norburn set to join.

As per Nixon's report, the Tangerines are happy to sell their midfielder, who has not appeared since featuring during his club's penalty shootout defeat to the Aston Villa academy in the EFL Trophy last month.

Norburn's most recent League One outing came back in November, when Steve Bruce's men defeated Bristol Rovers 2-0 in the West Country, courtesy of a Bryant Bilongo own goal, and a Lee Evans penalty.

Ollie Norburn could add important experience to Wigan Athletic's squad

The Latics currently sit 17th in the League One table, seven points above the relegation zone, and five points adrift of the top half, having played exactly half of their third tier fixtures.

Last time out in the league, Maloney's men suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of table-toppers Birmingham City on 4th January, but the Tics faithful will hope that Tuesday night's FA Cup victory over Mansfield Town can restore some much-needed confidence among their side's squad.

Meanwhile, Maloney has recently seen his side's midfield options suffer a series of injuries, and recently informed Latics TV about the long-term absences of Baba Adeeko, Tyrese Francois and former Arsenal man Matt Smith, who he revealed may not return to action prior to the end of the season, while youngster Kai Payne has also been sidelined following knee ligament damage.

With these injuries in mind, it is vital that the Latics utilise the January transfer market to source midfield options, which is exactly what they have done with the seemingly imminent addition of Blackpool man Norburn.

Furthermore, Wigan boast a very young squad, so the acquisition of 32-year-old Norburn, who has plenty of League One experience, could hold the key to the club's chances of enjoying a more comfortable latter half of the campaign.