Wigan is a club in freefall and it is hard to sit by and not feel sorry for them.
They sit anchored in the bottom four of the League One table – next-to-bottom in 23rd on 24 points.
It is not their fault; not be a long shot.
Wigan in turmoil – blame administration
The Latics are there because of then-new owner Au Yeung Wai Kay’s decision to put them into administration when they were comfortable in last season’s Sky Bet Championship.
That decision incurred an automatic 12 point deduction that was actioned at the end of the season. A Barnsley win on the final day condemned Wigan to relegation and League One football.
They might be 23rd, but there is hope that they aren’t too far away from safety. However, the relegation had other issues other that table position – the asset-stripping of the club’s star youngsters.
Joe Gelhardt – lost Wigan jewel
One of the players to leave the DW Stadium was youngster Joe Gelhardt. The Liverpudlian teen was seen as a jewel in the Latics youth crown and had already made the breakthrough to the first-team.
Leeds United was interested in him and invested heavily in the sort of video package and presentation that they employ when approaching senior targets and £million deals.
In an article from The Athletic, jointly authored by Phil Hay and Adam Crafton, the result of this presentation meant that Gelhardt was “blown away” and chose the Whites.
The Athletic’s Hay and Crafton go on to add that Leicester City had also made enquiries but it was Leeds United in the driving seat all the way.
Leeds United cut-price Gelhardt – symptomatic of administration woes
One of the reasons Leeds United were in for Gelhardt was, of course, his undoubted talent. Another, more mundane reason, is that they knew they could get him ‘on the cheap’.
That cut-price approach was borne out of the necessity of administration and the need to get things on an even keel.
That ‘cheap’ price was £700,000 – quite a substantial fee for an 18-year-old with promise and potential. It was a price knocked-down by Wigan’s administration and the fact that it was a situation that meant the young striker was ripe for picking.
Gelhardt – from Wigan to knocking on the door at Elland Road
What has been Wigan’s undoubted loss is Leeds United’s gain. That £700,000, which the Whites admit is a bargain, looks to be paying off handsomely.
He has already struck seven goals for the table-topping Under-23s and is often to hard to handle for players at that level.
He has the plaudits of United head coach Marcelo Bielsa ringing in his ears – according to The Atletic. They report the legendary Argentinian as saying: He’s [Gelhardt] been one of the better players in the under-23s.”
That potential looks to be on the point of being fulfilled with the youngster making the last two Leeds United matchday squads for the Premier League games against Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
However, what is Leeds United’s gain will be forever Wigan’s loss with an enforced administration squarely to blame.
