Looking at the Championship this season, Cardiff’s Peter Whittingham has got Premier League quality and is a creative player that possesses set piece prowess. He also conforms to the hard working mentality that Wigan will want to continue. In a similar mould to this is the hard working Irish international Liam Lawrence who could more than do a job for Wigan on the wing and tracks back all game long, helping out his fullbacks.
No doubt Martinez will have his scouts hard at work all over the footballing world trying to find a Pappise Cisse or Demba Ba to take his team to the next level. However, as you will notice, I am focussing on the pool of players within England and Europe.
Should West Ham not be victorious in their Championship play off final, West Ham’s Kevin Nolan, who I consider to be a player in a similar mould to Tottenham and England’s Scott Parker, has to be on the radar of some Premier League clubs. Offering attacking ability, linking up with his strikers in an attacking midfield role, with an eye for getting in double figures in terms of goals, along with his leadership qualities captaining several of his former clubs and presently West Ham. He would surely add something to a Wigan team that likes to play football.
Of course, it is unlikely that Dave Whelan will be able to offer Martinez an astronomical transfer kitty or wage budget this summer, so the Spaniard will probably look at loan deals to bring in something different to the club. It has been reported that Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson is looking to loan out one of the Silva twins to give him some Premier League experience after spending much of this season on the bench. This could attract Martinez, with the young fullback offering attacking flair but Martinez may wish to opt for a more defensively reliable option.
In some of the larger squads at the top of the league, some players are inevitably frustrated at a lack of first team action. I’m thinking of the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City. Players such as Tom Huddlestone who has featured in many England squads in recent years and Adam Johnson who will also want to continue his international ambitions could be tempted to showcase their undoubted quality on a regular basis at a club such as Wigan, a team as I have already said, has shown that they can play football and compete and beat the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal. Certainly, they would be welcome additions to the DW stadium.
There is much to ponder for the talented Martinez. I am not alone in wishing Wigan the best of luck for next season after securing their well-deserved Premier League status for next season, I just hope that they can built on the foundations they already have to push on up the league in the next few seasons and eventually challenge for those Europa League places in time.
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Huddlestone has been injured all season, not much anyone can do to get him playing