WIGAN Chairman David Whelan has told its fans and players alike he will make approximately £40 Million available for transfers,
should the Latics gain promotion. Wigan, currently second in Coca-Cola Championship, are arguably the most wealthy club in
the division already. Whelan commented on the budget for next season and said: “We’ll get twenty million for a start if we go up to the Premiership and Paul (Jewell) can rest assured that
I will be matching that if we go up”. He also spoke out on his ambitions for Wigan, should they achieve Premiership status, “If we go up I don’t want us to just think about surviving. I want us to set our sights
a lot higher and push for Europe.”
So it leaves the question for Sunderland fans, what does our own chairman promise us cash wise, and what ambitions does he behold?
The more realistic answer would probably be £2 Million and a few free transfers, with looking for 17th spot, or safety at least in The Premiership. For a club who could afford
luxurys such as Stefan Schwarz, Tore Andre Flo and Emerson Thome, can now only dream of such acquisitions. The fact of promotion does give you a £20 Million cash boost, but alot
of that will be fed to the clubs debt. The money what we were set to spend on Jon Stead (Reported £700k) last January also has disappeared, which can only be another worrying factor in Sunderland
financial status. Lets not forget the job Mick McCarthy has done with a shoestring budget this year though, Stephen Elliott, Andy Welsh, Liam Lawrence, Gary Breen, Steven Caldwell, Dean Whitehead all either
on a free or a small fee paid at tribunal. However, should we go up, Mick may need more than his wheeling and dealing powers, he will need to be backed by cash.
The rumour mill has been in full swing regarding takeovers, Paul McCartney, David Bannatyne, Packard Brothers all allegedly showing interest.
For now its just a case of crossing the bridge when we get there, but hearing about Wigans budget could only make Sunderland fans look on with envy.