Wigan Athletic heroes past and present react to takeover joy!

'A day we’ve been waiting a long time for!'
David Sharpe and Sam MorsyDavid Sharpe and Sam Morsy
David Sharpe and Sam Morsy

The words of captain fantastic Sam Morsy who may have left Wigan Athletic last summer, but whose heart clearly still remains at the DW Stadium.

"So happy for the fans and everyone connected to the club, a new era begins," he added.

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Also quick to voice his delight was former chairman David Sharpe, whose family sold the club in 2018 to International Entertainment Corporation - only to watch on in horror as more than two decades of incredible work was dismantled in less than a tenth of that time.

"March 30, 2021, a great day!" he tweeted. "Extremely thankful to Mr Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi and Talal al Hammad. I wish you and the board the best of luck in taking the club into its next chapter. To all the supporters, you deserve this day after an awful nine months. So happy for you all."

Gary Caldwell, who managed the club on Sharpe's watch and also captained the club added: "We defy the odds. It’s in our DNA. A great day for everyone connected to Wigan Athletic. Now for survival."

Yanic Wildschut, a key man in the success under Caldwell, tweeted: "Great news to start the day! To new beginnings."

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Aspull's own Jordan Flores - now at League One high-flyers Hull - and former goalkeeper Mike Pollitt added the same message: "Great news."

Gary Roberts, who returned to the DW last weekend with Paul Cook and Ipswich, tweeted: "Great news - no-one can keep this great club down."

And another of last season's 'Band of Brother's, Antonee Robinson - now starring in the Premier League with Fulham - said: "Fantastic news for the club."

The deal was also applauded by members of the current squad, with skipper Jamie Jones - from the team's hotel in the south east ahead of tonight's game with Gillingham - tweeting:

"Absolutely amazing news for everyone involved at Wigan.

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"Our fantastic club can now push to where it belongs with our new chairman! We keep fighting to the end."

Tom Pearce, currently ruled out with injury, kept it rather more simple.

"Let’s goooo!" was his reaction.

Nick Powell - now at Stoke - was even more succinct.

Replying to a post confirming the news, he took to Instagram to say: "Yay."

Head of Academy Gregor Rioch tweeted: "Relieved to finally close the door on the past 9 months. The ‘experiences’ lasted a lot longer than expected, but it has been well worth the wait. So excited for what the future brings with Phoenix 2021 as our leaders of our fantastic football club."

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Head of Academy Recruitment Kenny Williams added: "Great news for a great club, over 10 years of great and cherished memories. Big thanks to all the Academy parents past and present who have played their part in keeping this club alive."

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