Wigan Athletic have been handed a major lifeline, with a takeover bid from Mike Danson accepted, the club have confirmed the news via their Twitter.
The club has been plagued by financial issues this past year, which played a part in their relegation from the Championship last season. Numerous occasions of late payments to staff and players means the club will start next season with an eight-point deduction as they begin their journey in the third tier.
The takeover to purchase 100% of the club has been completed by local businessman Mike Danson and key figures in the club will be hoping that this means the transfer embargo they have been placed under will end. Wigan were placed under an embargo, meaning they cannot sign any players, no other details were issued by the EFL regarding the embargo, other than the club’s failure to comply with Regulation 17 of their rules regarding payments to HMRC.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Latics have been issued with a winding-up petition by HMRC due to an unpaid tax bill. Regulation 17 states that the club will be placed under an embargo should they fail to pay tax/National Insurance or fail to report any late payments to the EFL.
Wigan Athletic’s Bahraini owner was believed to be in talks with entrepreneur Sarbjot Johal, however, any deal there was unlikely to take place, as he had already failed in an attempt to buy Morecambe FC after failing to pass the EFL Owners & Directors Test meaning the deal fell through.
Danson could not hide his delight when speaking to Wigan Today, as he completed the purchase of his hometown club. The new owner, who already owns 25 per cent of rugby league club Wigan Warriors promised to begin a rebuild of the club from top to bottom.
Many fans will be delighted also, as this is the news they have been praying for when the future of their club began to hang in the balance, concerns began to develop of the club heading in the same direction as Bury did in 2019, who were eventually expelled from the Football League.
Writer’s View
The news will be a breath of fresh air for fans of the Latics, who can finally breathe a sigh of relief with their future now being known. Their previous owner had promised them the glory days when he took over from longtime owner Dave Whelan, but those seemed to be so far off now, especially following the club’s relegation.
