Bolton Wanderers Join Charlton Athletic In Race For Defender
Bolton Wanderers have joined the race to sign former Sheffield Wednesday defender Jack Hunt, according to Pete O’Rourke from Football Insider.
The 32-year-old was released by the Owls at the end of last season. He played a huge part in Wednesday’s campaign which saw them beat Barnsley in the EFL League One Play-Off Final to return to the Championship. Now a free agent, Hunt is being targeted by a host of clubs, with Ian Evatt’s side joining the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Huddersfield Town and Charlton Athletic all wanting to sign the right wing-back on a free transfer.
Who is Jack Hunt?
Born in Rothwell, Hunt came through the Huddersfield Town academy and signed his first-professional contract with the club in 2009.
After a loan spell at Gray’s Athletic, his second loan spell came at Chesterfield, where he made 20 appearances for the Spireites during the 2010-11 campaign.
He came back to Huddersfield and made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 0-0 draw against Colchester United on the 22nd January 2011. He went on to become a regular mainstay in the Huddersfield team, and was part of the side that won promotion to the Championship following their 8-7 penalty shootout win against Sheffield United at Wembley, with Hunt scoring the 17th penalty of the shootout. That season, he, along with his teammate Jordan Rhodes, were voted in the PFA League One Team of the Season.
Following interest from Premier League clubs, Hunt joined Crystal Palace in the 2013 summer transfer window, however broke his ankle in training before making his debut and was ruled out for up to four months with injury.
Loan spells at Barnsley, Nottingham Forest and Rotherham United followed before his final loan spell was at Hillsborough as he joined Sheffield Wednesday for his first-spell. In the January window, his loan was made permanent – with the defender not making a single first-team appearance for Crystal Palace.
Hunt became a mainstay in the Sheffield Wednesday team until the summer of 2018, where he moved to Bristol City.
After 115 appearances and scoring four goals at Ashton Gate, Hunt left following the expiry of his contract and resigned for Sheffield Wednesday for his third-spell at the club, becoming a crucial part of Darren Moore’s side – scoring the penalty kick that sent Wednesday to Wembley in their staggering Play-Off semi-final comeback against Peterborough United.
Writers’ View
Whoever is able to complete the signing of Jack Hunt this summer will be getting an excellent player. Full of experience in the Championship as well as League One level, he was a key player in Darren Moore’s Sheffield Wednesday side, and more often than not comes up with crucial moments for his side and is quite handy when it comes to grabbing goals. Knowing there is Championship interest – it may be difficult for Bolton and Charlton to pull it off, especially with Huddersfield being one of the clubs rumoured to be interested in him – as Hunt did start his career at the Yorkshire based side. This is a one-to-watch for sure.
