Fresh twist emerges in Wigan Athletic, Sam Tickle transfer saga amid Preston talk | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic boss Shaun Maloney has revealed that the Latics did not receive a bid from Preston North End for goalkeeper Sam Tickle

Wigan Athletic boss Shaun Maloney has revealed that the Latics have not received a bid for goalkeeper Sam Tickle from Preston North End, despite previous reports suggesting that the Championship club had tabled an offer for the 22-year-old.

Football Insider reported on Tuesday that the Latics had rejected a bid for Tickle from North End, but Maloney has poured cold water over those claims.

The shot-stopper has also attracted the attention of Premier League trio Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton, and according to The Sun, he even rejected the opportunity to join the Gunners last summer.

Meanwhile, fellow Wigan youth academy graduate and first team star Thelo Aasgaard did leave the League One outfit in favour of a move to the Championship on Tuesday, as he joined Luton Town in a deal initially broken by Football League World.

Maloney reveals Wigan did not receive a bid from Preston for Tickle

The Latics boss told Wigan Today following his side's defeat to Peterborough United: "No, we didn't receive a bid for Sam.

"It wasn't that official.

"And I'd be pretty certain Sam will be staying with us through this window, yeah.

"I've alluded to this in the past, but there were always some deals we didn't have a lot of control over, and the others we absolutely do.

"The stark situation is that we could have lost Thelo (Aasgaard) and Charlie (Hughes) 18 months ago for zero, as we did other players.

"I appreciate the players understood my input at the time, that Charlie needed another year here, and with Thelo it's been 18 months.

"For them and their families, I appreciate their loyalty, and we could have lost them for nothing, let's not forget that.

"Sam is a different situation, but he's such a talent, a real talent.

"I'm pretty certain he won't go this window, but he's another outstanding young player that the club should be very proud of."

Defender Hughes left the Latics to join Hull City last summer, after his £3.5m release clause was met by the Tigers, while recent departure Aasgaard also had a release clause in his contract ahead of his Luton move, as recently hinted by Maloney.

But the 42-year-old's comments indicate that there is no such clause in Tickle's contract, which will come as a relief to supporters who will not want to see their club lose the talented England Under-21 international.

Latics cannot afford to lose Tickle this month

Aasgaard's departure means the fact that the Latics are nine points above the relegation zone has become increasingly more relevant than the 11 points which separate the Greater Manchester club from the play-off positions.

Maloney's men have scored just 26 goals in 27 League One fixtures this campaign, while Aasgaard was their top scorer with eight goals in the third tier this term.

But despite their largely poor attacking numbers, the Latics have been able to keep themselves clear of the drop zone courtesy of their defence, and the continually impressive efforts of Tickle between the sticks.

So far this season, Tickle has kept 11 clean sheets for the Greater Manchester outfit in League One, and has made 76 saves as per FotMob.

If the Latics were to lose the England Under-21 international, it could be enough to plunge them into real trouble, after fellow key man and academy graduate Aasgaard left the club on Tuesday.