According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon on his personal Twitter account (below), Wigan are looking to give their Sky Bet Championship promotion challenge a nuclear boost next season. They are in negotiations with Portuguese club Benfica over possible loan deals.
WIGAN. Summit meeting with Benfica about poss loan player deals. Looks hopeful
— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) June 2, 2019
The Latics finished their 2018/19 Championship season in a disappointing 18th place in the table. It was a long way up to the play-off places, but not so far a distance away from relegation to League One. Not wanting to stand still, and looking to steal a march on those around them, a meeting with Benfica would potentially give them access to a plethora of exciting youngsters.
Benfica won the Liga NOS last season by the slender margin of two points over FC Porto. Their first-team squad is ridiculously talented, containing the likes massively rated striker Joao Felix (19) and central midfielder Gedson Fernandes (20)
It is unlikely that Benfica will be willing to loan out any of their first-team stars, what with them playing Champions League football next season. However, their ‘B’ side has a number of potential stars bubbling under and just waiting for their chance at the big time.
Opinion
It’s a very wise move on Wigan’s part to spread their wings and look at a venture and hook-up of this ilk. In many respects, it is a no-risk strategy that allows them to loan in some quality players without having to break both the bank and FFP regulations in order to chase success.
Fair enough, the fact that they aren’t buying in players from Benfica does limit their leverage at the negotiating table. It means that they’ll have a less selective pool of players to choose from, likely having to rely on those who Benfica deem would benefit from a season/half-season developing in the English second tier.
Still, when you look beyond this, even a glance at Benfica’s ‘B’ side is enough to convince a sceptic that Wigan could very well be on to something.
