Darikwa, 29, joins after spell with Nottingham Forest.

Signing | Latics bring in Tendayi Darikwa on short-term deal
Darikwa joins after spell in the Sky Bet Championship with Nottingham Forest
Versatile wide player has played over 200 league matches and previously worked with Leam Richardson at Chesterfield

We are pleased to confirm the signing of versatile wide player Tendayi Darikwa on a short-term contract until the end of the season, subject to EFL approval.

Darikwa joins after a spell with Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship, where he played over 50 league games.

The Zimbabwe international spent the majority of the 2019-20 season on the side-lines due to injury, but returned to be involved in Forest’s squad towards the end of the campaign.

Yet to feature for Forest’s first team this term, Darikwa featured twice for Zimbabwe in their African Cup of Nations qualification campaign in November and has maintained his match fitness with Forest’s U23 side.

Darikwa began his career at Chesterfield, working with Paul Cook and Leam Richardson in Derbyshire during a successful period in which the Spireites won the Sky Bet League Two title in 2014 and finished in the play-off places of Sky Bet League One within a year.

After winning Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year for the 2014-15 season, Darikwa attracted interest from the Premier League and Championship, with Burnley winning the race for his services that summer.

Darikwa featured 21 times as the Clarets won the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League in 2016, though after a further year at Turf Moor he moved to Forest.

Having played 63 times for the City Ground side, he now joins Latics looking to help his former assistant manager Richardson and ex-Chesterfield teammate Dan Gardner to secure Latics’ Sky Bet League One status.

Darikwa is a former teammate of a number of ex-Latics, including Samy Morsy, Gary Roberts, Danny Fox, Kieran Dowell, David Jones, Ben Watson, Richard O’Donnell and Matt Gilks.

Tendayi will wear the number 2 shirt during his stay at the DW Stadium.

Signing | Latics bring in Tendayi Darikwa on short-term deal