Norwich complete late deadline day swoop for star Wigan Athletic forward

31 January 2017

2 minute read

Sky Bet Championship side Norwich City have confirmed the signing of Yanic Wildschut from league rivals Wigan Athletic. The Dutchman has penned a two-and-a-half year contract for the former Middlesbrough man, making the move for an undisclosed fee.

The winger handed in a transfer request at Wigan yesterday, much to the anger of Latics chairman David Sharpe. Based on his reaction to the deal being completed, it is fair to say that Wildschut is no longer in the good books of the young Wigan leader.

Focusing on the Norwich side of the deal, the player himself said that once he heard of the interest from Norwich City, he wanted the deal to happen,

“The moment Norwich were interested, I felt good about it.

“After speaking to the manager, it was an easy decision for me. This is what I need at this stage of my career, so for me it was a no-brainer.”

His new manager, Alex Neil, says that after losing Martin Olsson and Robbie Brady, it was important to sign another left-sided player, in addition to Mitchell Dijks from Ajax,

“Yanic will bring pace and directness, and he’s the type of lad that on his day, he can create absolute havoc.

“He’s still learning the game, he’s still got improvements to make but when he’s on form he’s a really top operator at this level.

“There was stiff competition for him, we had to make sure we put a good deal in place – however, with us losing two left-siders, it was important that we brought two in and we’ve done that.”

On the official Wigan website, Sharpe expressed his disappointment at how Wildschut behaved to push the transfer through,

“We were disappointed in the manner that Yanic behaved, and we made that clear. Nevertheless, it is correct that we should still thank him for his contribution these past 15 months and wish him the best for the future.”