Discussing the news of Wigan Athletic being entered into administration, Adam Crafton of The Athletic revealed that the club’s former chairman Dave Whelan intends to ‘help out in some way’.
Having undergone a change of ownership just a month ago (as per BBC Sport), the Championship side are set to receive a 12-point deduction this season if they finish outside of the relegation zone.
Speaking on a recent edition of the Going Up, Going Down podcast, Crafton spoke of how Whelan and his family will be feeling about the current situation: “I know Dave Whelan went on TalkSPORT on Wednesday to talk about how hurt he is and [how] devastated the family are by this development because they genuinely thought they had sold to good owners, and the evidence of the first 12 months was that they had done.
“He said that he’ll help out in some way; I don’t think he’s going to be riding to the rescue. The conversations I’ve had over the past 24 hours with people close to the family, there isn’t a suggestion they’re going to go in and buy the club. I think they might be prepared to help find the right investors, people who would be the right people to take the club forward both in the short term and long term, but a football club can’t just always depend on one person to bail it out.”
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Former chairman Whelan took over in 1995 before stepping down as chairman in 2015. During his tenure, Wigan spent eight seasons in the English top flight but were relegated in 2013. Whelan also enjoyed FA Cup success with a victory over Manchester City at Wembley in the same year.
Wigan Athletic currently find themselves in 14th place, sitting seven points clear of the relegation zone. The Latics fans may take heart from Crafton’s update and will be hopeful Whelan can somehow help the club find a way out of their worrying situation.