Wigan transfer tips

Last updated: 24th December 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Wigan transfer tips

Bruce: Must keep his top talent

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Appearing to have shaken off the troubles of the past two seasons, when their top-flight status hung precariously in the balance, Wigan look ready to challenge for a top-half finish this term. However, their hopes of claiming a top 10 standing may depend on how successfully they are able to negotiate the January transfer window. With a host of their top stars linked with moves to pastures new, Steve Bruce will be hoping to fend off the Premier League vultures and make it through to 2nd February unscathed - while perhaps adding a few fresh faces along the way. With that in mind, Chris Burton takes a look at what the JJB faithful can expect over the coming weeks.

How the new boys have done

Working to tight financial constraints, the Latics have never been a side prepared to live beyond their means. Bargain-hunting has always been at the forefront of their transfer policies and their summer dealings continued to follow this blueprint.

Four players were brought in for a combined outlay of just £6million, with Steve Bruce resisting the urge to give Dave Whelan's chequebook a good hammering. The former Birmingham boss, aware that Premier League experience is a priceless commodity when searching for potential recruits, instead focused his pursuit of new arrivals on a domestic level.

A raid on his former employers at St Andrews was inevitable, and duly materialised, with Daniel de Ridder and Oliver Kapo snapped up to add guile to a hard-working midfield unit.

Dutch winger De Ridder has failed to fulfil the potential he displayed during his early days at Ajax, but can be a tricky customer when given time and space in which to work. He has been restricted to only a handful of appearances so far this term but, having now been in England for 18 months, the 24-year-old will be keen to prove that he is not another name to be added to the list of top-flight flops.

Quite whether Kapo can shake off that tag remains to be seen, as the Ivory Coast-born wide-man has also struggled to rekindle the promise of his past. A man with nine international caps for France, and the likes of Juventus and Monaco on an impressive CV, should be more than capable of giving the best full-backs in the business a run for their money. However, it is fair to say that the likes of Ashley Cole, Patrice Evra, Jose Bosingwa and Bacary Sagna will not be quaking in their boots just yet.

While the aforementioned duo are yet to scale the heights since swapping life in the West Midlands for that in North West, a man who learnt his trade in the football-mad world of Teesside has left a positive impression on the Wigan faithful.

Ex-Middlesbrough man Lee Cattermole arrived with a reputation as an archetypal no-nonsense midfielder, happy to do the dirty work that is so crucial in any successful side. He has certainly lived up to that billing, with the £3.5 million it took to wrench him away from his boyhood heroes now representing an astute piece of business from Bruce. The England U21 international has quickly become a mainstay in the middle of the park, with a sending off against Sunderland in September the only blot on an otherwise exemplary copybook.

Cattermole has, however, seen much of the limelight this term snatched from him by the Latics' only foreign pre-season investment. Egyptian striker Amr Zaki adapted to life in England like the proverbial duck to water, blasting out of the blocks in a manner befitting Olympic sprint-king Usain Bolt.

The African ace is built like a brick outhouse, is good in the air and possesses a keen eye for goal. Characteristics which led to flattering comparisons with Newcastle's favourite son and one time England goal-machine, Alan Shearer. He found the target eight times in 13 appearances at the start of the campaign, leading to admiring glances from some of Europe's top clubs. He is enduring something of a barren spell at present, but Wigan are still likely to do all they can to turn his loan deal from Zamalek into a permanent move before seeing him whipped from under their noses by a rival.

What they need

While running the rule over Wigan's expectations prior to the 2008/09 campaign getting underway, I suggested that goals, and lots of them, were a commodity Bruce needed to unearth should the Latics wish to become a top-flight force.

Zaki's impressive partnership with Emile Heskey appears to have addressed that issue in part but, with the latter strongly linked with a New Year departure, Bruce may need to unearth another goalscoring gem if he is build on the solid foundations which have been laid during the first half of the season.

England international Chris Kirkland, who has been able to shake off the injury problems which plagued his early career, provides a reassuring presence between the sticks, but a leaky defence could do with some maintenance during the impending window.

Should he be able to bolster his attacking and defensive options, Bruce will then be more concerned with hanging onto the considerable talents of Wilson Palacios and Antonio Valencia as he looks to keep the spine of his side in one piece.

What they'll get

With Heskey's contract due to expire in the summer, and with Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea sniffing around the burly front-man, the England international looks destined to be on his way over the course of the forthcoming weeks.

Newcastle striker Michael Owen, who is also coming towards the end of his current deal, has been mentioned as a possible replacement, but Bruce has been quick to distance himself from an audacious approach for the former Liverpool and Real Madrid man.

With cut-price deals representing the most likely option for the Latics, a scour of lower league talent may bear fruit. The likes of James Beattie and Jason Scotland have impressed in the Championship for Sheffield United and Swansea respectively, although their employers are unlikely to part with key men without putting up a fight - or demanding ludicrous price-tags in an effort to disperse any interest which may materialise.

Failing that, Middlesbrough's Mido has been strongly linked with the club in the past and is likely to welcome the opportunity to form an all-Egyptian strike partnership with Zaki.

Having also suggested that the rearguard needs strengthening, Boulogne-sur-Mer centre-half Steven Mouyokolo has seen his profile enjoy a meteoric rise in recent weeks and may be worth a once over. The 21-year-old is regarded as one of the finest talents in the French second division and it appears to be only a matter of time before he is plying his trade on a grander stage.

Fan's view - Barry Simpson

I must first congratulate Bruce on the job he has done so far this season - things are looking promising. For us to now build on that, I think we need to find a consistent centre-half. Someone like Richard Dunne would be ideal, but that may be a bit optimistic. We also need to do all we can to keep Heskey and Valencia at the club. If we can keep hold of them and add one or two to the squad then I think we will be more than alright.

Comments (5)

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Matt Daniels (Wigan Athletic fan) says...

First and foremost I want to thank Steve Bruce and his staff for the job they have done for us. When we first came up into the Premiership everyone wrote us off as the whipping boys of the league. Not only did we prove them wrong in the first season, but we have continued to fight on to establish ourselves as a stable topflight team. Every season we have got stronger and stronger with high profile players coming to this club. Gates have risen since our arrival in the Premiership and things are really looking up. I would really like to see us keep hold of all our players this winter and the following summer. They have all gelled and created a great playing atmosphere between all of them. Emile Heskey is a great leader and focus point for us and to see him go will be very sad to see. I hope that the players on the market will see what Wigan Athletic have got going here, we are a club with great promise and big abitions. So come on and join in the party. Everyone that is associated with Wigan Athletic has the upmost trust in Steve Bruce and we know what he does will be right for the club.

Posted 18:54 26th December 2008

Scott Byrne (Wigan Athletic fan) says...

Steve Bruce has done an amazing job for wigan this season. hes brought some quality into the side which i think most wigan fans agree we needed...i think we need to bolster our squad a little more maybe to buy a good left winger similar to valencia to run at players & to keep hold of the player we already have. i really think wigan can finish top half this season as this is our 4th season in this league and were now an established club lets hope we can start attracting big names now and progress further.

Posted 20:22 24th December 2008

Roman Bullock (Wigan Athletic fan) says...

Richard Dunne??!!! The only thing he is consistant at is endless blunders, own goals & no pace! Despite all the negative comments always aimed at bramble in the media he is twice the player that Dunne is

Posted 19:49 24th December 2008

Jason Cleghorn (Wigan Athletic fan) says...

As a Wigan fan, I must say this was an excellent article. Kudos.

Posted 18:23 24th December 2008

Andrew Cooper (Wigan Athletic fan) says...

I think that we should try and get new contracts to heskey, palacios and valencia. They should be our main objectives in january. But we could do with a center back and a center mid and two good choices are upson with west ham in a money crysis and Jimmy B (Bullard). I think his heart has never left wigan and would want to come back.

Posted 15:50 24th December 2008
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