Wigan Athletic chief makes Thelo Aasgaard January admission - '...counting down the days...'

The Norway Under-21 ace's double in the midweek FA Cup success at Mansfield took his tally for the season to 10 goals from 28 appearances - already the highest return of his career, with half the campaign still to go.

Since signing a new long-term contract in the summer of 2023 - and being handed the coveted 'No.10' shirt by Maloney - Aasgaard has stepped up into a real leadership role, despite his tender years.

And Maloney has now been left to fear whether his main attacking threat is playing 'too well' - with a fortnight of the January transfer window still remaining.

When asked how valuable Aasgaard had become to the side, Maloney replied: "Obviously extremely valuable!

"He's our top scorer, and I'm counting down the days until the transfer shuts.

"I'd love to keep him in our team - and also Sam (Tickle) as well - but Thelo has really grown in the last 18 months or so. He's only 22 but he's a real leader of the group, a real quiet leader of the team.

"Whenever there's real pressure on, and the opposition go man for man, he can take the ball under that pressure. He's also a massive goal threat for us, and I'm desperate to keep him in that No.10 shirt."

Latics were forced to sell star defender Charlie Hughes last summer due to a release clause in the contract he signed in the summer of 2023 - which stemmed from the well-documented financial problems under the previous ownership.

Without going into specific details about Aasgaard's situation, Maloney touched on the difficulties in ‘controlling’ things moving forwards.

"There are some things in football you can control, and other things you can't...with Thelo...it is what it is," he said. "When you see someone produce what he can produce, you expect...like what happened in the last window…

"We have a strong owner now, and we don't need to sell...but this one's not as much in our control as others."

Aasgaard – and Hughes – signed their new deals shortly after Mike Danson completed his takeover at Latics, which removed all the financial uncertainty at the club.

However, at the time, there was still the potential for players – who hadn’t been paid on time on a number of occasions under previous owners Phoenix 2021 Ltd – to ‘hand in their notice’ and leave for free.

Indeed, Jack Whatmough – who had been earmarked for the captain’s armband last term – and Jamie McGrath left for Preston North End and Aberdeen respectively, while North End also paid a nominal fee to secure the services of a third player in Will Keane.

Thankfully, Aasgaard stayed put, and he was the difference in midweek at Mansfield as Latics booked a round-four home tie against Premier League Fulham.

"The second goal in particular was really special....it just changes the dynamic of the game,” added Maloney. "He's got a really good shot with either foot, but to cut in on his left foot - his weaker foot - and do that...he's a special player for us."