"I'm surprised" – No Wigan Athletic transfer exit for midfielder in January | OneFootball

Some feel a loan move may have benefited the young midfielder

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Wigan Athletic have not had the greatest first half of the season in League One this campaign.

They currently sit in 16th place and look a long way from climbing back up the divisions, so focus has naturally been more on additions than players leaving.

But that doesn’t mean departures aren’t important, especially on loan, to help young prospects build themselves to a level that will help them impact the first team.

We asked our Wigan Fan Pundit, Corey, who he’s surprised to see remain at the DW Stadium this January.

Loan move should have been found for Chris Sze, says Fan Pundit

Speaking to Football League World, Corey said: “So, one player I'm surprised hasn't left Wigan this January is Chris Sze.

“I think he really could have done with a loan move. He’s struggled with personal problems and hasn't really made the 18 on a matchday at all really this season, especially not for a sort of consistent period.

“A loan move could have done him well. Obviously, the personal problems may be the reason that he hasn't gone out on loan, and maybe there is an issue that he can't really play that much right now.

“But if he could have gone out and could have got that sort of experience under his belt, maybe in League Two, maybe in the National League, then I'm surprised that we haven't allowed Chris Sze to leave and get first-team minutes as a senior pro and really kick on in his career and come back a different player for the summer, ready to kick on in a Wigan.”

There’s still plenty of time for Sze

Some things are bigger than football, which is why Wigan boss Shaun Maloney has given Sze all the time he needs to sort out personal issues away from the spotlight of Wigan Athletic.

Speaking in October, Maloney said: “Chris just has a few personal issues that he needs to sort out. That's the reason people haven't seen him around as much, and he missed the team photograph last week.

"We'll wait as long as we need to with that one, we'll leave him to sort that one out in his own time. Hopefully he'll be back with us before too long. Chris won't be going out on loan, he will be staying with us."

With the January window now been and gone, it’s clear Maloney and the team at Wigan have stuck to that plan, having Sze remain with the Latics.

And that may well be best for him. If he’s going through things in his personal life, he may be best off remaining with a club which has an intimate understanding of his situation and can work training and his football life around that accordingly.

Having only turned 21 last month, there is no need to rush Sze into the first team or out on loan, he has plenty of time to settle into the first-team environment at Wigan and build himself up to making a sustained impact on the senior team.

In most scenarios, a loan move might have been good for a player like Sze at this stage in his career, but not every case is the same, and Wigan will be acting in the player’s best interest to ensure he gets his chance to shine.