Wigan may not sell Emile Heskey in January, and if they do, it’ll have to be an ‘outrageous’ offer, according to Wigan manager Steve Bruce.
Heskey has been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Manchester City recently, and Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has said that he’d rather sell him in January than let him go for free in the summer. However, the £2-4m price that Whelan mentioned pales in comparison to the value that Bruce has placed on Heskey’s worth to Wigan’s survival and the financial windfall that comes with it.
Heskey isn’t going to light up the stat sheet, but there’s a reason why he’s back in the England national team and why he’s sought after by some of the Premier League’s top sides.
If his sale was going to bring in enough funds to allow Wigan to sign Amr Zaki to a permanent deal, or to find a replacement that will give them another regular scorer alongside Zaki, I’d say it’s a deal worth doing.
However, holding on to him and having him be a key part of their staying up is worth the sacrifice of losing him for nothing in the summer, so there’s no reason for the Latics to consider a sale unless said outrageous offer does come in. Heskey may be invaluable to Wigan, but I don’t see that outrageous offer coming in.
Wigan are currently 11th in the Premier League, and while they’re only six points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa, they’re only four points ahead of Sunderland, who’s in 18th. With the race for safety looking to be a fight, it’ll be surprising to see Wigan allow Heskey or Antonio Valencia depart in January.
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