Shock club reportedly makes big offer for Wigan Warriors man John Bateman

The future of Wigan Warriors star John Bateman continues to throw up more questions than it does answers.

Earlier in the season, Bateman was linked with a move back to the NRL, but now it has been reported on Fox Sports that that move could be closer than what people think.

That club is the struggling Wests Tigers who have reportedly made yet another offer to secure the Wigan man’s services after being knocked back on repeated occasions.

“Other than the fact that Wests will pay you well above what you will get at any other club, why would you go there?” Paul Kent asked on NRL360.

It’s a good question considering the hole that the Tigers currently find themselves in; wooden spoon winners, Wests are going to have to pay over the odds to bring in stars that would perhaps have to be coaxed to change the struggling club.

“They are chasing John Bateman over in England,” James Hooper said on NRL360.

“They have been doing it for several months now, but internally they still think they have a chance.”

Of course, Bateman already has experience in the NRL with the Canberra Raiders after spending two seasons in the Australian capital where he made his name as a ferocious competitor, helping the Green Machine to the Grand Final in 2019.

And, former teammate Elliott Whitehead has backed Bateman to return to the Australian competition.

“He [Bateman] was messaging me a minute ago … he said ‘mention me’,” Whitehead told News Corp

“He definitely left before his time was over in the NRL,” Whitehead said.

“But he had his reasons at the time. I think if Covid wasn’t around he would not have left … but because of Covid, he didn’t get to see his daughter, it was hard for him.

“If people could come back and forth, I think it would have been a different story for both he and George Williams.”