'Open up Wigan Athletic exclusivity', pleads Lisa Nandy MP

The EFL are continuing to assess the merits of the Spanish bid, which was accepted by the administrators on September 30.

Begbies Traynor have already extended their exclusivity, which is scheduled to run out on Friday (November 20), with the Spanish fully expecting this to be pushed back further if required.

The flip side of that is rival bidders - of which Ms Nandy says there are several - are currently unable to table their counter-proposals.

And while the clock continues to tick, the club coffers continue to empty - and the team remains rooted to the bottom of League One, having already been dumped out of all three domestic cup competitions.

Ms Nandy says the time is now to act - whichever way that is - to prevent the club suffering even more, irreparable damage.

"I spoke to the administrators last week, and part of that discussion was about whether it might be time to start talking to other bidders as well," she said.

"It's my strong view that would be helpful, given how long this has gone on.

"My understanding of the state of play is that the EFL have requested more information - both about the budget from the proposed bidders and also regarding the background of some of the individuals involved.

"That information was sent over last Thursday, the EFL have had another meeting with the Spanish consortium, but as yet no decision has been made, and this could yet go on for some considerable time.

"That's something the EFL have made clear to me and others and, given the club has taken a real hit while we've been in administration - we've seen a lot of assets sold, and we're still racking up costs while we're in administration - it would be in everyone's interests for that exclusivity period to end and for the administrators to consider other options.

"They are reluctant to do so and, at the current time, what they'd like to see is the EFL to approve the deal.

"But I just don't see any prospect of that happening in the very near future."

Ms Nandy has previously been critical of the administrators, but also accepts the situation is far from clear-cut.

"To be fair to the administrators, they are very aware there's been a lot of bidders coming through this process over the past few months," she acknowledged.

"I've met and spoken to a lot of them, and obviously the administrators have too.

"Some of them just aren't viable when you look into it, they're just not realistic bids.

"And I think they just feel concerned this has dragged on such a long time and, if the Spanish bid is rejected or they walk away, they may end up with very few or no options.

"I think there is a desire for them to get this done, and a concern whether there are any other credible or realistic options.

"Because even if the administrators accepted another bid, it would still have to get through the EFL tests.

"To be fair to them, that concern is real. But the difficulty is that, with the deal that was done with the Spanish, they are liable for all the operating costs for the club from the date the deal was done (October 1).

"My understanding is that if the administrators walk away from this deal, they would be liable for all the operating costs for October and November.

"The question is are the administrators willing to meet those operating costs themselves - and I don't think they are.

"And if they're not, is another bidder willing to come in and cover those costs themselves.

"That's the sort of conversation that is ongoing at the moment, and I've certainly made it clear to the administrators that I feel it would be useful to pause and have conversations with other bidders to see if we can unlock this.

"We're sort of stuck at the moment. If the EFL continues to not make a decision, and the administrators continue to extend exclusivity, and the club continues to rack up running costs, we're going to be in a position where we see this continual attrition, and I just don't want us to be in that position.

"So I and a number of others are working very, very hard to try and get conversations going.

"If I sound a little flat, it's because it's just been the most frustrating experience.

"We're in the second half of November now, and we just shouldn't be still in administration."

Ms Nandy has remained in dialogue with the Spanish, who this week told Wigan Today they are happy to wait 'as long as it takes' to get the green light from the EFL.

However, she believes their business plan - which has led to some staff contacting her to express their concern at proposed wage cuts - still leaves a lot of questions that need answering.

"The impression I get from the Spanish is they are getting frustrated with how long the process is taking," said Ms Nandy.

"They were absolutely clear with us they have the money, they own a number of other, smaller clubs, over in Spain.

"And they very much said they could do this with or without the money from the Supporters Club.

"Having met them twice - once in person and once via Zoom - I guess the concerns I've raised with them are whether some of the projections in the budget make sense.

"One of the first things that happened was staff were contacted and told they had to take a pay cut, which is obviously of real concern.

"No-one is saying we don't have to adjust our expectations, and we've all had to do that since the start of the year.

"But for the first thing you do to a lot of very good people - long-standing staff members - is tell them to take a budget cut...that does set alarm bells ringing.

"I've had a number of the staff contact me, very upset about it, and also starting to consider other options - which means the club could lose very good people.

"But the alarm bells are also ringing because you wonder why you'd have to do this as the first action, if the finances are there.

"That is a concern I've raised with the Spanish bidders, and I'd be amazed if it wasn't something the EFL hadn't raised with them as well.

"The EFL have held several meetings with the Spanish - there's been a lot of backwards-and-forwards with information about the budget and the projections with the budget.

"One of the things that concerned me was the fact the budget was based on staff taking wage cuts - and this was before the staff had actually agreed to it.

"There are obviously causes for concern, and whether the Spanish can iron them out, I'm not so sure.

"I told them on day one I would welcome with open arms anyone who had the best intentions for this club.

"But given everything's that happened, I feel it's absolutely right that everyone - me, the Council, the Supporters Club and the EFL - are asking probing questions.

"My big worry throughout this whole thing is we might end up like Bury, and going from one bad owner to another.

"And by the time you come out through the other side, it's too complicated to unpick it and basically you lose the lot.

"It always seemed realistic to me that we'd be able to find a buyer for the club. But we have to make sure it's the right buyer.

"I know it's difficult for prospective bidders coming in to hear that. But it's the only responsible thing to do in the circumstances."

Administrator Paul Stanley revealed last week there is enough money to see the club into the new year - but beyond that the situation, as with most clubs up and down the country, was more uncertain.

"The next few weeks are obviously critical to make sure we get the right decision," recognised Ms Nandy.

"And if this one's not right for the club, there are at least three options, I am aware of...there are two other bidders.

"I can't vouch for them, but I have met with one, and I've got the details of the other bid.

"And there's always the option of the Supporters Club, with backing from the Council, and that's something we've very much kept alive over the last few months.

"It may be a long-term solution, it may be a short-term solution to help stabilise things while we look for an alternative buyer."

Appearing as a guest on the 'Progress With Unity' podcast, Ms Nandy also put forward two avenues to allow the club to arrive at a successful destination.

"There are two ways to break this stalemate," she added.

"One is that the EFL make a decision - either go ahead with the sale or unlock the potential for the administrators to talk to other bidders.

"The other is that the administrators agree to end the exclusivity period, and start talking to other prospective bidders, and that might get us to a point where we've made sufficient progress.

"I've been trying to do both - I've been talking to the EFL to see if we can get a decision, and also talking to the administrators and the other bidders to see if we can overcome some of the reluctance to consider the alternatives.

"Somebody's going to have to move at some point and, at the moment, it's not clear who's going to move first."

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