Bristol City, QPR & Coventry among clubs in transfer battle for Wigan man | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers and Bristol City are among a host of clubs in the Championship that are chasing Wigan’s Jack Whatmough on a free transfer this summer.

Who is Jack Whatmough?

The 26-year-old came through the ranks at Portsmouth and made over 100 appearances for the club before leaving for Wigan.

Since joining the Latics, Whatmough has had a mixed time, as he initially starred as they won promotion to the Championship, but he was also involved last season as they were relegated back to League One.

Despite their struggles, Whatmough was one who impressed in the second tier, and it appears he could be given the chance to move straight back to the Championship.

That’s after Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath revealed that several clubs are monitoring the player, who could also be allowed to leave on a free transfer due to Wigan’s well-documented off-field issues.

“Wigan centre-back Jack Whatmough could spark a scramble in the Championship on a free transfer. He can choose to leave his club after the non-payment of wages last season. QPR, Bristol City, Preston, Coventry and others have scouted him.”

The constant late payments made to the players have already seen Wigan hit with a points deduction, with another penalty meaning they will start League One on minus points. Therefore, as outlined above, it has been claimed that players can choose to depart.

Would Whatmough be a good signing for a Championship side?

You’d imagine that the opportunity to return to the Championship is going to appeal to Whatmough, and he has shown that he is good enough to play at that level, even though Wigan went down. He is a strong, dominant centre-back, and to pick him up on a free would be a smart bit of business. Or, even if it turns out they do have to pay, he is someone who would be a good investment.

All the clubs mentioned will be in the market for a defender this summer, but the reality is that they don’t have budgets to compete with some of the big hitters in the division. So, they have to be intelligent with their recruitment, and this would be an example of that.

As for Wigan, they will hope for a brighter future under new owners, but the issues of the previous regime will be felt for some time, and losing a player like Whatmough would be another consequence of that. But, few will blame him if he wants to take the chance to test himself at a higher level, as he is approaching his peak years and will feel he should be in the Championship.