Wigan defender Charlie Hughes is being viewed by West Ham as a potential replacement for Angelo Ogbonna as the defender looks set to leave at the end of the season. 

After signing from Juventus in 2015, Ogbonna has gone on to make over 260 appearances for West Ham and counting; but being 35 years old, his best days are behind him and his time at the London Stadium is coming to an end.

Konstantinos Mavropanos was signed by David Moyes in the summer and the Scottish coach is now eyeing up a move for another centre-back in the form of Wigan’s Charlie Hughes.

That is according to Alan Nixon, who says that Wigan will be powerless to stop the Englishman’s transfer if West Ham make a move, which could happen fast as the London club are aware of rival interest.

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The times they are a changing at St. James’ Park, and for all of the new signings that Eddie Howe is bringing into Newcastle, some other players need to be moved on.

Howe has overseen an incredible transformation at the Magpies, due in no small part to the incredible financial backing of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Having said that the manager has still had to spend the money wisely, and almost without exception, each signing he has made has paid off handsomely.

It’s certainly a great time to be a part of the Newcastle success story, but unfortunately that won’t apply to everyone. Some will be so near to jumping on board the express train, yet so far.

One player who has already decided to move elsewhere on a season-long loan deal is defender, Kelland Watts.

The 23-year-old centre-back wasn’t likely to have a realistic chance of breaking through into the first team in 2023/24, so has agreed to move to League One side, Wigan Athletic, according to Newcastle World.

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As the outlet also note that the following campaign sees Watts entering the final year of his Newcastle contract, it’s safe to assume that he’s played his last game for the north east giants.

That game would also have been his first and only match for the club, a 16-minute cameo appearance back in 2019/20 according to transfermarkt.

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Newcastle continue to go from strength to strength both on and off the pitch, but their current and future success won’t be able to be shared by everyone.

As the club and team progress, so those who were once considered good enough but who may not now be in the first team picture will be allowed to leave.

Some players that haven’t yet scratched the surface in terms of making their mark in the senior XI will also be sent on their way, and that latter scenario is one that applies to 23-year-old Kell Watts.

According to Wigan Today, Watts has only made a solitary appearance in the first-team, way back in July 2020 against Liverpool.

Since then he’s been sent on loan to Stevenage, Mansfield, Wigan Athletic and Peterborough, and given the direction that the club are now going in, there’s little hope of Watts making a belated entry into the St. James’ Park hall of fame.

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To that end, Wigan Today report that the Latics are trying to get the player, who reportedly has 12 months left on his Magpies contract, back to the DW Stadium.

It isn’t clear at this stage whether it’s a loan deal that’s preferred or a permanent one, either way it would be preferable that being kept in the background on Tyneside, waiting in vain for a first-team opportunity to open up.

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If things weren’t bad enough already for Wigan Athletic, they’ve just got a whole lot worse, and this time the punishment from the Football League could scupper their transfer dealings for the next 18 months.

The club already knew that they would be starting the 2023/24 season on minus eight points, a punishment that was metered out by the game’s governing body after consistent non-payment of wages from the owner.

There’s every chance that this could be increased of course if Abdulrahman Al Jasmi doesn’t honour a promise to have all outstanding staff and player wages settled by the end of the week.

According to Wigan Today, at Thursday’s Football League AGM several changes to the regulations were voted on by member clubs, and they will come into effect immediately.

The one that has appeared to knock the stuffing out of the long-suffering Wigan fans and staff is the ’30-Day Rule.’

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This relates to non-payment of HMRC debt, and has been added as a trigger of Regulation 52.6. If Wigan fall foul of this particular regulation – which they will do if they accumulate 30 days of late payments in a 12-month period – the club will be unable to buy players for the next three transfer windows.

That’s clearly a situation which nobody wants but only Al Jasmi can ensure that it doesn’t come to pass.

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There’s an old saying that life comes at you fast, and that couldn’t be more apt for former FA Cup winners, Wigan Athletic.

Back in 2013 under Roberto Martinez and owner, Dave Whelan, the club shocked English football when they downed Manchester City in the Wembley showpiece, substitute Ben Watson scoring the winner in injury time.

Just 10 years later, Wigan have been relegated to League One and have also been deducted four points – which could rise to eight – for non-payment of wages.

Shaun Maloney’s side ended the 2022/23 season on 39 points, having won just 10 games, drawing 15 and losing 21 per BBC Sport.

With consistent non-payment of salaries becoming a real problem for the club, Wigan’s first-team could be looking a whole lot different at the start of 2023/24 than it does at present.

‘Wigan Athletic will be deducted four points from the 2023/24 Sky Bet League One table after failing to pay its players’ wages on time in May 2023 and further to previous breaches of EFL Regulations,’ a statement from the EFL read.

‘The sanction will be applied at the start of the new league campaign with the Club also receiving an additional four-point deduction for season 2023/24, which is to be suspended until 30 June 2024.

‘That sanction will come into effect if the Club’s owner, Mr Abdulrahman Al Jasmi, fails to deposit an amount equal to 125% of the Club’s forecast monthly wage bill in a designated Club account, a key term of the Agreed Decision reached between the EFL and the Club in January, by Wednesday 24 May 2023.

‘The suspended deduction will also be activated if the Club fails to pay its players on time between now and the end of June 2024.

‘In addition, the Club has also had a further three points deducted from its 2022/23 Championship total for the late payment of players’ wages in March 2023 resulting in their final total being 39 points.

‘Mr Al Jasmi was also charged with Misconduct and fined £10,000 for failing to comply with the terms of the Agreed Decision.

‘Both Mr Al Jasmi and the Club have accepted the sanctions, which have been ratified by an independent Disciplinary Commission, and have agreed to pay all associated costs.

‘In January, the Club was charged with Misconduct after it paid its players late on three occasions in June, July and October 2022. Accordingly, it was sanctioned with a suspended three-point deduction and entered an Agreed Decision with the League.

‘The suspended sanction was activated in March when the Club failed to meet its contractual obligations with its players and breached the terms of the Agreed Decision when Mr Al Jasmi failed to deposit 125% of the Club’s forecast of its monthly wage bill into a designated account.’

Like a number of other clubs in recent years, Wigan appear to have been used as an owners plaything, without consideration of what the club means to the community, the staff and the players.

Given that they’ll almost certainly have to shed players to trim the wage bill in any event, one can assume that the club won’t get back up the divisions in a timely fashion.

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Indeed, the chances of Wigan dropping further down the pyramid as others have done before them seems more than likely.

It’s seems to be another example of the EFL not doing their due diligence on unscrupulous owners.

Owners that, frankly, should be nowhere near a football club and should be ashamed of themselves.

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Wigan players are considering going on a strike and refusing to play the last game of the season, according to the latest report from The Sun.

The report claims that the players did not attend training on Saturday after failing to receive all their wages on Friday. And they could now refuse to return to play the final game of the season for the Latics.

The report further adds that some of the players have since then been paid but all those players who are out of contract this summer have still not been paid. It also claims that the players are ‘openly discussing‘ a strike until all outstanding payments are made.

Wigan Athletic’s Bahraini owners have promised to make payments after their game on Monday, but this has failed to appease the disgruntled players.

If the first team players do not show up, Wigan will have to make do with their reserves do field a team against Rotherham United.

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This is the 5th time they have failed to pay the players and staff their salaries this season and have already been punished with a 3 point deduction for failing to pay them in time last month.

The situation at Wigan Athletic is undoubtedly concerning. It remains to be seen whether the players will go through with their threatened strike, but their grievances are understandable given the club’s repeated failure to meet its financial obligations to its staff.

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A Wigan Athletic fan was knocked out cold by allegedly a Sheffield United supporter after a fight broke off on the platform of Sheffield train station.

The footage captured shows a group of fans who appeared to be winding each other up before the banter turned ugly and pushes and shoves led to thugs from both sides throwing punches at each other.

During the brawl one fan who is said to be a Wigan fan was knocked out cold on the edge of the train platforms. Bystanders quickly came to his aid and tried to move him away from the edge.

Watch the brawl below:

A Wigan Athletic fan was knocked out cold by a Sheffield United fan yesterday… ? pic.twitter.com/LP0zub1N7K

— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) April 8, 2023

According to The Sun, the fight occurred after Sheffield United who are 2nd in the table with a good chance of a promotion beat bottom of the table Wigan.

It is incidents likes these that show the ugly side of the game, often with alcohol playing a big role in being the instigators to these street brawls.

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Wigan Athletic are currently facing a potential three-point deduction due to their failure to pay their players and staff on time according to The Sun.

It reports that the club has failed to pay their wages for the fourth time this season, but they are expected to make the payment this week.

However, this is not the first time that Wigan has had issues with paying their staff.

The club has already received suspended sentences in the past for similar incidents. The English Football League (EFL) is according to the report, closely monitoring the situation and will likely take action if the club fails to meet their financial obligations.

They lost 3-0 to league leaders Burnley this weekend dropping them to the bottom of the table and during the post-match interview, Wigan manager Shaun Maloney addressed the club’s ongoing wage problems, expressing the impact it has had on the players, support staff, stadium staff, and training ground.

He explained that the lead-up to their recent game was emotionally taxing for everyone involved, and that the difficult situation had affected the club’s ability to train and prepare for the match.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Maloney praised the team’s performance on the field, stating that he was “super-proud” of the effort they had put in.

He told BBC Radio Manchester (via The Sun):

“The lead-up to the game and preparation definitely affected not just the players but the support, staff, stadium staff and training ground, so it was an emotional couple of days, very difficult.

“It’s a position I don’t think any of us expected to be in so it’s really difficult. It was difficult to train and prepare – the things off the pitch become bigger. “For the last half hour the fans sang after me and the team and for what the players gave I am super-proud.

“When the CEO relayed it to us and the players it was the same reason as they put in the statement. We’re hoping it’s a short-term situation.”

However, the club’s current position at the bottom of the table, having only won seven games, drawn 11, and lost 18 this season, means that a three-point deduction could be catastrophic for their chances of survival in the Championship.

While Wigan Athletic are hopeful that their current financial difficulties are only a short-term problem, the potential consequences of a points deduction are severe.

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Arsenal youngster Miguel Azeez is in talks with Wigan Athletic over a potential January transfer.

Azeez has spent the majority of this season on loan at Spanish second-division side UD Ibiza. However, Arsenal re-called the youngster after making just 10 league appearances throughout the season.

It didn’t take long for Azeez to get into discussions with a new club, with The Athletic reporting that the 20-year-old is in talks with Wigan Athletic over another loan move.

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Wigan were recently taken over by former Arsenal defender Kolo Toure, who could be looking to use his connections to bring in some talent from North London on loan.

The Championship is a highly competitive league full of physical players. Azeez will certainly learn a lot and gather plenty of experience by plying his trade in the English second division, but regular game time will be the most important thing after struggling for minutes whilst on loan in Spain.

Azeez spent some of last season on loan at Portsmouth, before Arsenal recalled him in January, similar to this season.

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Leicester City look set to lose Kolo Toure from their coaching setup, with the former Arsenal defender heavily linked with a managers role.

Toure is currently the first-team coach at Leicester, working closely with manager Brendan Rodgers.

However, Rodgers may have to prepare for life without the former Arsenal defender, as he’s set to take on a managerial role.

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According to Football Insider, Wigan Athletic are considering appointing Toure as their first-team manager.

The post Leicester could now lose key figure of the club in surprise exit appeared first on CaughtOffside.