ROBERTO Martinez admits he will not rest until the transfer window slams shut at 11pm tonight in his quest to bolster his squad.
Deadline day is expected to be the busiest at Wigan since the summer of 2006, when Paul Jewell oversaw three arrivals and three departures in a frenzied 24-hour period.
Today is expected to be a similar hive of activity at the DW, with Martinez desperate to draft in reinforcements for the run-in.
Paul Scharner will be the first incoming, the Hamburg man returning to his former stomping ground on a loan deal until the end of the season.
And that could just be the start with Ireland winger Aiden McGeady, currently at Spartak Moscow, top of Martinez’s hitlist.
The arrival of Scharner gives Martinez an extra option in both defence and midfield, but the hamstring injury sustained by Emmerson Boyce at Stoke in midweek could persuade the Wigan boss to bring in another defender.
Barnsley youngster John Stones remains a long-term target, while Arsenal’s Carl Jenkinson is also a possibility on a loan basis.
Latics have already filled their domestic loan quota of two – Angelo Henriquez and Ryo Miyaichi – but the Japan winger could see his injury-plagued spell in the North West cut short, allowing Jenkinson to make the reverse journey.
Having already drafted in three players this month – Henriquez, Roger Espinoza and goalkeeper Joel Robles – Martinez could well have acquired himself half a new team by last orders tonight.
“I can guarantee the whole club will work hard until 11pm, because we need to look at all the possibilities and options to help the players here,” Martinez said.
“But if we don’t find the right player, we won’t do anything. We need the people that can fit in with what we want to do.
“Bringing in a player for the sake of it most of the time creates problems.”
Martinez’s hand has been strengthened by the departure to Palermo on loan of Mauro Boselli, one of the club’s highest earners.
And despite not having spent a penny so far this month, the Latics chief denied he would be splashing the cash willy-nilly.
“You always have to balance the books and, the way we work, I would never do anything negligent that we would put the future of the club financially at stake,” he added.
“You have to balance things up, while always considering what’s best for the club.
“We are in the window and we still have time. If we can bring in players we think can help the group, then we will do that.”
Comments