Wigan Athletic warned they've 'been stung twice' as big takeover news emerges | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic are up for sale, having been taken over by local multimillionaire Mike Danson in 2023

Wigan Athletic are battling to save their League One status and have picked up since Gary Caldwell returned to Greater Manchester to replace the recently sacked Ryan Lowe.

That's whilst a report from The Athletic has indicated that Wigan and League One rivals Bradford City are up for sale, which could prompt major off-field changes in both Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

The Latics were only bought by local multimillionaire Mike Danson in 2023, in a transaction that saved them from an HMRC winding-up petition.

Wigan were relegated from the Championship earlier in the same summer as Danson's takeover, and have remained in League One ever since, often sitting in the lower reaches of the third tier.

Wigan Athletic told to be wary of takeover

The Greater Manchester club entered administration in 2020 under the failed ownership of a Hong Kong-based consortium, and were then subject to point deductions throughout the 2022/23 Championship campaign, as the subsequent hierarchy that preceded Danson consistently failed to pay player and staff wages on time.

Football League World asked our Latics fan pundit, Corey Bissell, if it is good news that Wigan are up for sale, given the lack of progress they have made under their current owners, or if they should be wary of a takeover thanks to their financial struggles in recent years.

Bissell told FLW: "I think we're always going to be wary of new owners when they come in now. We've been stung twice in such a short period of time that we are going to be wary whenever something like that happens.

"The news that he's going to sell the club. Obviously, it heavily depends on where it goes. But I think it's potentially a positive thing. If you're admitting that you want to sell the club and that you want more investment, you've sort of accepted that you've taken it as far as you can really, haven't you?

"If he's got broad acceptance that he can't take it much further, then the right thing to do is to sell. The worry is that obviously we've been stripped of the stadium, so what is a new buyer getting, other than a training ground that's not up to standard?

"It's a difficult one, but I'm happy, but I'm wary is what I'd say."

Wigan Athletic must retain League One status to avoid further uncertainty

Wigan supporters should always be grateful for the fact that Danson rescued their club from potential extinction fewer than three years ago, but their current board's exploits have been far from perfect.

The Greater Manchester club have established an ethos of financial sustainability following their previous struggles, but there are instances of that philosophy seemingly going too far.

For instance, even in his second League One season, when a transfer embargo was lifted, former boss Shaun Maloney was given a lack of resources and was left reliant on loan signings.

Maloney was then sacked by the Latics, then six points above the relegation zone, last March and replaced with Lowe.

However, this season, Wigan were left with even worse relegation worries under Lowe, and the board once again sacked their head coach, highlighting their executive issues.

While the Brick Community Stadium outfit enjoy significantly greater financial stability than they used to, they have not enjoyed such stability in the dugout.