Wigan Athletic open to outside investment - but are they for sale?

The development was first reported at the weekend by The Athletic's senior sports news reporter Matt Slater, who received the 43-slide literature due to his position in the business side of the industry.

Writing in his column, Slater wrote that owner Mike Danson 'would take less than £10m (to sell the club), and he is also willing to stick around as a minority partner to shoulder some of the burden going forward’.

That understandably led some of a fanbase that has twice come close to losing its club in the last six years to voice their fears at the ramifications of another change in ownership.

After speaking to senior club sources, Wigan Today was initially of the understanding the Danson family was only seeking additional investment, and that there were currently no plans to step back from their running of the club.

However, Slater then posted one of the pages of the document on social media, which explicitly states the club IS for sale.

Under the ‘Transaction Rationale’, it says: “The time is right to bring in a new owner, who can take Wigan Athletic on this journey through the next phase of its history.”

Under the ‘Proposed Transaction’, it states: “Given the growth potential the club has looking forwards, Mike Danson is open to retaining a minority stake of 20% if it was with the right partner. The deal does not include ownership of the Brick Stadium, as that is owned by a separate entity. This deal does include ownership of the training ground at Christopher Park.”

Gary Caldwell—who spoke extensively with the board before becoming head coach last month—was asked about the subject after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Blackpool.

"No idea," he said. "It's the first I've heard of that."

As recently as last week, head coach Caldwell spoke at length about his belief that Latics could repeat their previous success in moving up the pyramid under the Danson ownership - despite the club no longer being ‘big fish’ in the sea.

"I know only too well, having been at Exeter for three and a half years, at an amazing club that tried to do everything to improve budgets, and progress...and the league was running away from them,” he said.

"The league is constantly getting bigger, with more money and more investment...which I think is a good thing for the league, because the quality is improving all the time.

"We're fortunate here that we have a really good owner, who puts a lot of money in to the football club, and backs the football club to be successful.

"I think it's now important that myself, the players, the staff, and the supporters, get together to try to take this football club back to where it should be...which is even higher than this level."

When asked whether it was still possible to be successful with different financial parameters to the last time he was here – when Latics won the League One title – Caldwell replied: "Yes, 100 per cent.

"All of my conversations with Lucas (Danson) and the board, during the interview process, showed me this club is really ambitious, and wants to get back to the highs that we had when I was previously here, which is in the not-too-distant past...I'm getting old, but I'm not that old yet!

"Of course there have been difficult times since then...at two points, this club could easily have gone out of existence, which would have been a disaster.

"We have to be sensible about how we go about it...everyone has to be aligned and has to be clear that we're going to do it a different way now.

"But I believe in that way, and I believe we can be successful with what we're doing...but we have to get out of the situation we're in first before we even start to think about that.”

On the different pressure now, to a decade ago, he added: "Pressure is a part of football, and if you don't want pressure, then you shouldn't be in football.

"But the pressure you bring on yourself - and the standards you set for yourself and the football club - should be a bigger pressure than any outside noise.

"I believe we have a good group of players here, I believe we have a good group of people here, and I believe we can get out of this situation we're in at the moment.

"The pressure will always be there, but you have to enjoy it, and embrace it, to help us achieve what we want to achieve."