WIGAN IN THE MIRE

WIGAN are direclty affected by the global financial crisis and are desperate for new investment into a club worth just £40million - but with a debt of £54m.

PROBLEM: The sportswear tycoon has financed Wigan from the bottom tier of the Football League all the way to the Premier League in the past decade - and moved them into a new stadium.

But poor crowds due to the proximity of much bigger clubs in the north-west have limited their potential.

And Whelan, who broke his leg playing for Blackburn in the 1960 FA Cup final, admitted: "If it's for the good of the club I would welcome an investor from anywhere."

SOLUTION: Whelan continues to support Latics manager Steve Bruce in the transfer market but will almost certainly look to balance the books in the near future unless he can find a major investor to provide funds.

The sale of sought-after midfielders Antonio Valencia and Wilson Palacios could raise around £20million in the short-term.

But England striker Emile Heskey, signed for £5.5m from Birmingham in July 2005, can walk out of the club on a free at the end of the season.

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