Rob searching for X-Factor
Roberto Martinez admits he has 'three or four' irons in the fire as he bids to add an X-Factor to Latics.
The Spaniard is happy that the pool of players he has inherited from Steve Bruce, which finished 11th in the Premier League last season,
already possesses a 'solid spine'.
And, while recognising the need to add numbers to one of the smallest squads in the top flight, Martinez is targeting only players he believes will add something a little different.
He told the Evening Post: "It's all about looking at the personalities of the players and the positions we need to strengthen, and working out which players we need to target.
"The talent we have here is fantastic, and the spine of the team has a great mentality and character.
"From Chris Kirkland, to Titus Bramble, to Lee Cattermole, you have a solid spine that represents Wigan – and that is important.
"The players that come in have to help maintain that competitive environment, while trying to bring in a little bit of an extra dimension to the squad to be as unpredictable as we can.
"The hardest thing in football is to be unpredictable, and to able to have different way of approaching games.
"That's why we need to sign players who are a little bit different to what we already have – bearing in mind what we have already got is very strong and very talented."
Latics' summer recruitment is already underway, with last week's 1.7m acquisition of Espanyol playmaker Jordi Gomez expected to be the first of many arrivals ahead of the new campaign.
And Martinez admits he will scour the globe in search of the right men – at the right price – to ensure chairman Dave Whelan gets value for money.
He added: "I think Jordi will prove to be a fantastic signing, and we are looking at another three or four players that we will hopefully bring in over the next few weeks.
"It's important that we strengthen certain positions in the squad and, after that, making sure we bring the right characters into the club.
"You need a certain type of player in the Premier League – first you need to be of good technical standard, and secondly the mentality has to be very specific.
"Wigan have had a lot of success with Central and South American players, and the Spanish market is also fantastic in that respect.
"The French market is also good depending on the teams and the way they work, as is the Scottish and the Dutch market, but you can't really rule out any of the possible markets.
"We are not a club that can rely on our finances to bring players in, so we need to move in on players quicker than other clubs and be a bit more creative.
"But we can't afford to have a light squad, because that would be very unfair on the players here who have done so well over the last few years."
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
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Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
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