Former Derby County midfielder Tom Huddlestone has left Wigan Athletic to join League One rivals Birmingham City.
Huddlestone has been the Latics’ first-team coach since the summer and will now take over at the Blues, where Ashley Cole left earlier this week.
Wigan Athletic issued a statement confirming that first-team coach Tom Huddlestone has left the club to join Birmingham City.
“Huddlestone, who joined Latics in the summer after serving as a Player-Coach at Manchester United, has been a member of Shaun Maloney’s backroom team as First Team Coach since the start of preseason.
“While the Football Club was desperate to keep Huddlestone, fellow Sky Bet League One side Birmingham made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. We’d like to thank Tom for his contributions at Wigan Athletic and wish him well in the future.
Huddlestone progressed through the ranks at Derby, making 88 league games in his first term before being sold to Tottenham for £2.5 million. He then returned in 2017 to join the Rams from Hull in a £2 million deal, but left three years later. He joins the Blues, who are presently second in League One after spending millions on acquisitions during the summer.
Blues manager Chris Davies stated: “Tom is a fantastic coach and a valuable addition to our First Team Staff as we strive to build on our strong start to the 2024/25 season. He has extensive playing experience, which has been supplemented with coaching positions with both club and national teams. This will add a different aspect to the group, and I expect the squad to benefit from his knowledge of the game.
“We are all looking forward to working with him and wish him every success at Birmingham City.”
