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Wigan will face Real Zaragoza at the DW Stadium on August 4. “It will be a great exercise to face a side with the quality they possess,” says Roberto Martinez
Roberto Martinez has admitted he is an admirer of out-of-contract Swansea midfielder Leon Britton.
The 27-year-old will officially become a free agent at the end of June when his deal with the Swans expires.
Britton’s agent has revealed he does have a number of options, including a couple in the Premier League, and Wigan have been credited with an interest.
Martinez worked with Britton during his time in charge at the Liberty Stadium and is fully aware of the player’s contract situation.
“In my eyes he is a player who has probably been one of the best central midfielders in the Championship over the last two years and he is someone who I know really well,” said the Latics manager.
“I worked with him for a few seasons and I played with him, so he is someone I really know well.
“Obviously, I know he is out of contract, he has had a few offers and I am sure it is the most important decision of his football career.
“It is something where I am not too sure what is going to happen.”
Ingredients
Martinez has already begun strengthening his squad ahead of the new season and will keep his eyes open for other possible new recruits when he jets out to the World Cup to work as a pundit.
“I’m going to the World Cup and we are going to see a few players,” he said.
“I think it is important that you sign the right characters and the right personalities.
“Anyone can spot a good player, but it is all the other ingredients that allows you to be successful for Wigan Athletic.
“It is a large list in terms of names and it will carry on in that way until we make a signing.“So far we have signed Steven Gohouri on a permanent basis and Antolin Alcaraz, the Paraguayan centre-half, and our fans will always be the first to find out as soon as we get new signings.”
Losing Championship play off finalists Cardiff City are reportedly keen on signing Wigan Athletic midfielder Jason Koumas.
Cardiff manager Dave Jones has tried twice in the past to bring Koumas to South Wales outfit on loan and he is keeping his eye on Jason’s situation at the DW Stadium.
Latics manager Roberto Martinez has told Koumas that he has no future at the club as he continues to rebuild for the upcoming Premier League season.
Wigan Athletic are believed to be reacting to reports that Championship outfit Leeds United are launching a lare bid to hijack their deal fro Hamilton Academical midfielder James McArthur.
Reports in Yorkshire suggest that Leeds’ manager Simon Grayson is set to offer the Accies a million pounds for his services. This would be two hundred thousand pounds more than Latics have reportedly agreed with the Scottish club.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is chasing Colombian namesake striker Jackson Martinez, who he hopes to team up with fellow countryman Hugo Rodallega at the DW Stadium.
But Wigan have moved ahead of Sunderland in the race to sign Estudiantes striker Mauro Boselli by increasing their bid beyond the £6m offered by the Black Cats for the Argentina international.
Wigan Athletic and Boca Juniors are leading the chase for Argentine front-man Mauro Boselli, skysports.com understands.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to Europe, in particular England, a number of times over the past 12 months.
A move has thus far failed to materialise, but a transfer this summer looks likely, with Birmingham and Sunderland known admirers.
Wigan are now thought to have lodged a bid and are further ahead in their interest, but Boca Juniors are also keen for Boselli to return to La Bombonera with new coach Claudio Borghi a big fan.
Indeed Boca already own half of Boselli following two previous spells at the club, as Estudiantes only purchased 50 per cent of the player in 2008.
Now Boca are hopeful of taking him back to Buenos Aires, but agent Barry McIntosh, who has been overseeing Boselli’s negotiations in Britain over the past 18 months, feels a move to the UK is now a distinct possibility.
Pressing ahead
“There is long-standing interest in Boselli from many parties, from around Europe and in South America,” he told skysports.com.
“It is true that Wigan are now pressing ahead with their interest and are bidding close to the $10million (£6.9m) that Estudiantes are ideally looking for.
“But there is also Boca, and their new coach I know likes him a lot and they cannot be underestimated as they are still a very big club.”
Asked about potential other suitors, McIntosh confirmed that Birmingham were one of a number of clubs who maintained an interest.
He added: “Birmingham have always liked him, as have other clubs in the Premier League, but things are progressing now and I can see something being done as early as next week.”
Arsene Wenger is ready to battle Martin O’Neill in the £10million scramble for Hugo Rodallega.
The Wigan striker is a wanted man after scoring 13 Premier League goals last season.
Aston Villa boss O’Neill has switched his attentions to the Latics hitman following his failed last-ditch bid to beat neighbours Birmingham to Serbian striker Nicola Zigic.
O’Neill is desperate to land a new striker as there are doubts over the long-term futures of Emile Heskey and John Carew.
Carew is wanted by Fiorentina and is about to enter the final year of his contract at Villa Park, while Heskey is on Stoke boss Tony Pulis’s shopping list.
Colombian international Rodallega – who claims he has received an offer from Arsenal – has made it known that he wants to move on from the DW Stadium this summer.
The 24-year-old has been promised by owner Dave Whelan that Wigan will not stand in his way if big clubs come calling in the transfer market.
The Gunners are known to have been tracking him for some time, but Wenger has recently snapped up Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer.
Middlesbrough have attempted to steal a march on Wigan, Wolves, Celtic and Leeds with a £2.5million bid for Scunthorpe striker Gary Hooper.
The 22-year-old, who scored 19 goals in 31 league starts this season, is widely expected to leave the club this summer.
And Boro boss Gordon Strachan has made the first move, according to the News of the World, putting a £2.5million on the table at Glanford Park.
Hooper, with 50 goals to his name in the last two seasons, has already been shown around Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground.
And Scunthorpe chairman Steve Wharton said: “There are four or five clubs showing an interest in Gary.
“I am not resigned to losing Gary this summer – but I would not be surprised if a transfer does happen.”
I don’t think anybody is going to buy the DVD and want to re-live the 9-1 and 8-0 batterings, do you? Those games are best kept locked up in the deeper recesses of my mind, only to be brought up when asked if I remember them, to which I will simply reply: “yes”.
Are we on about The Season Review 09/10 or We Did It 3 Times ?[/quote]
Yeah
WANTAWAY WIGAN ATHLETIC STAR JASON KOUMAS is thought to be mulling over a £2m payday to move to Turkish SuperLig outfit Trabzonspor
The Black Sea Tigers, as they are known have endured a disappointing season finishing fifth in their domestic league and see the mercurial playmaker as the ideal creative talent to unlock defences and boost their firepower.
Welsh International Koumas is thought to be surplus to requirements at Wigan and has been told he can leave but is notoriously fond of his Welsh roots. In fact Koumas travels into Liverpool city centre each weekend to collect several packages of ‘Welsh product’ to relieve his homesickness.
It is thought that Koumas’s agent is currently sounding out the Turkish community as to the quality of exported goods in the port of Trabzonspor and the availability of cheap couriers from the valleys before deciding whether Jason can finalise talks and agree a three year deal worth up to £700,000 per year.
