Wigan Athletic star left out of squad ahead of expected switch to Luton Town
Thelo Aaasgaard was left out of the Wigan Athletic squad for Tuesday night’s League One clash at Peterborough United ahead of his expected switch to Championship strugglers Luton Town.
The Norway Under-21 international has been Latics stand-out attacking threat this term, with a career-best 12 goals already to his name.
However, his form has inevitably caught the eye of clubs further up the ladder, and the Hatters have made their move.
Latics' hands are tied in the matter, with boss Shaun Maloney repeatedly musing that certain things are 'out of their control'.
That's understood to relate to a buy-out clause in the contract Aasgaard signed in the summer of 2023, similar to that which saw Hull City trigger a move for Charlie Hughes last summer.
Maloney had been hoping to make it to the end of the window without having to think about a future without the 22-year-old.
Indeed, Luton's move came just hours after Maloney had voiced his hope that Latics' transfer business - in and out - had been concluded.
When asked whether there were any more deals in the pipeline, Maloney said: "No," he said. "I put a lot of pressure on Gregor (Rioch) and Stevie (Gormal) to get our work done quickly...and I think you've probably seen why.
"I would be absolutely delighted if I had absolutely no work to do between now and the end of the window. I really hope it stays the way it is."
Latics came flying out of the blocks in January, wrapping up the signings of Josh Robinson (Arsenal), Joseph Hungbo (FC Nurnberg), Will Goodwin (Oxford United), Jon Mellish (Carlisle United) and Ollie Norburn (Blackpool) by the midway point.
To balance the numbers, loan trio Calvin Ramsay (Liverpool), Joe Hugill (Manchester United) and Michael Olakigbe (Brentford) returned to their parent clubs, with Josh Stones signing for York City and free agent Paul Dummett moving on.
But it's the loss of Aasgaard - an Academy product, who was part of the Under-18 side that reached the quarter-final of the FA Youth Cup in 2020, before bowing out to Manchester United - that will cause by far the most pain.
It's understood Latics have already targeted a replacement ahead of Monday night's transfer deadline - but he certainly has massive boots to fill.