Goalie conundrum keeping manager Cook occupied

Wigan Athletic boss Paul Cook could well have a '˜keeper conundrum on his hands barely a week before the start of pre-season training.
Paul CookPaul Cook
Paul Cook

Matt Gilks is reportedly on the radar of League One rivals Scunthorpe United, with the Iron confident of being able to lure the 35-year-old to Glanford Park before the start of the new campaign.

It would be something of a surprise if Latics were to offload Gilks, who only arrived at the club in January from Rangers and enjoyed a fine end to the campaign.

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Indeed, he is the only senior stopper on the books, after Jussi Jaaskelainen’s contract expired and Jakob Haugaard returned to Stoke at the end of his loan spell.

On the flip side, Cook is already believed to be well on the way to bringing in reinforcements, with Brighton stopper Christian Walton, 21, understood to be high on his wanted list.

The England Under-21 international is looking for more game-time to continue his development, and would fit the mould for what Latics are looking for.

Having enjoyed successful loan spells at Luton and Southend last term, a move to a side expected to be challenging for promotion to the Championship would be the next logical step.

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Brighton have already offloaded No.1 David Stockdale to Birmingham this week, but are closing in on the capture of Australian international Maty Ryan after agreeing a fee with La Liga outfit Valencia.

Niki Maenpaa is also expected to agree a new one-year deal at the Amex, which would pave the way for Walton to go out on loan – with Latics waiting for the green light to push through a loan move.