Fleetwood Town boss gives huge transfer hint on Wigan Athletic target Brendan Wiredu

The 25-year-old - who can cover full-back and wing-back as well as central midfield - has been on Latics' radar throughout the window.

After being put off early in January due to Fleetwood's valuation, Latics went back in - armed with the Thelo Aasgaard transfer money - only to again seemingly hit a brick wall.

Wigan Today reported on Saturday morning that a deal would be unlikely to happen at this stage – unless things dramatically change - although Wiredu would remain on the wanted list for next summer.

However, tongues were set wagging when the Fleetwood skipper was left out of the matchday squad for Saturday's 4-2 defeat against Accrington Stanley.

That meant an obvious question for Cod Army chief Wild in the aftermath - with fans of both clubs desperate for more information.

When asked if there would be any more departures before the transfer deadline, Wild replied: "We're hopeful there's not.

"There's nothing on the table to suggest that anybody will be leaving the building, and we're hopeful that continues.

"You never know what's going to happen in the next 48 hours but, as we stand here at 5pm on Saturday, I'm not expecting anything."

Wild was also asked about Wiredu's absence from the squad.

"Brendan picked up a knock and he didn't travel," Wild confirmed.

The Wiredu development came after Latics boss Shaun Maloney revealed the sale of Aasgaard meant there 'might be some more room now' to bring in a player - and on a permanent basis.

"There might be some more room now," he said on Thursday. "A lot of the work we're trying to do...and we didn't get this right in the summer...is trying to get the squad ready for the first day of pre-season next summer. If we can do permanent deals this January, we will definitely look to do that.

"I'm not really interested in loans or short-term deals for players. But if there are any long-term targets that we can afford to bring in now, we’ll look to do that. And in fairness to the owner, he has given us the green light to do that, which I'm very appreciative of."