Meet the Everton starlet who is ‘coming home’ to Wigan Athletic!

Wigan Athletic new-boy Beni Baningime certainly needs no tour of the club following his loan arrival from Everton.
Beni BaningimeBeni Baningime
Beni Baningime

The 20-year-old midfielder - whose brother Divin is in the Latics Under-18s ranks - probably knows more about the town and club than anyone else on the books!

“It actually feels as though I’m coming home, because I’ve spent so much of my life in this town,” said Baningime, who was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, but was brought up in Wigan and lives in Standish.

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“I went to school at St Judes and John Fisher, I grew up 10 minutes from the DW Stadium.

“Quite a few of my mates are Wigan fans, they’ve been texting me already, some of them asking for tickets!

“It’s just nice to think they and my family will be able to come and watch me playing for Wigan, so close to my home.

“My brother’s been on at me for ages to come to Wigan, he said I’d love it here.

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“I also know Jedi (Antonee Robinson) really well from Everton, we get on very well, he’s told me a lot about the club and the team.

“It’s great he’s coming back from injury and it would be fantastic being his team-mate at Wigan.”

Baningime has already played in the Premier League for Everton, and is hoping his loan stay with Latics will allow him to return to Goodison Park and stake a claim for a regular spot.

“It’s a great move for me, and the experience I’ll gain here will be so invaluable for me in my career,” he added.

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“There are some great players here and I just want to learn as much as I can off every one of them.

“There’s just no substitute for first-team football, it’s what I need to become a better player.

“I’ve really enjoyed my games in the Premier League and I want to play as many games in the Championship to add to that.

“I’m fit, I’m ready to play, and hopefully I’ll be involved as soon as possible, that’s the plan anyway.”