Wigan sign Di Santo with last ditched effort
Wigan completed the signing of Chelsea youngster Franco Di Santo minutes before the transfer window for the summer closed.
The deal was rushed through in the last few minutes, because Martinez was insistent on landing his man. The manager knew that one of the aspects that Wigan were lacking at, was fire power upfront. They currently possess two or three strikers, but neither of them have the cutting edge quality that is needed in front of the goal and it is that quality that could make or break a team’s season.
Wigan manager Martinez told reporters, “We've been following Franco for a long time and from his point of view it's clear that he is desperate to play for Wigan and his desire and commitment is exactly the right attitude for our club.”
Martinez had been following the player ever since he made his debut for the Chelsea reserve team. He had previously tired to capture the player on two or three occasions but, due to some financial issues, the deal was not pursed further.
He said he admired the youngster who had valuable experience at such a young age and had worked hard to get to where he was, “Franco is an Under-20 international for Argentina with great Premier League experience having worked at a club with the caliber of players of Chelsea, and also spending a hugely beneficial year on loan at an established club like Blackburn.”
He added, “We all feel that Franco can fulfill his potential at our football club and he'll bring a completely different dimension to our squad with his presence, technical ability and hard-work.”
Di Santo made his move to England and joined Chelsea in 2008. He was loaned to Blackburn for most of last season. He made twenty two appearances for the team but managed to score only one goal.
However when asked how he felt about his move to Wigan, the player was reported to have said, "I am just happy that my future has been sorted out now. I can't wait to start training, meet all my new team-mates and start fighting for my place in the team," said the Argentinian.
Di Santo wasn’t the only signing that was made by Wigan, earlier on the same day, the team managed to sign Cleverley from Manchester United on a season long loan deal. Celverly has previously made appearances for Leicester and Watford over the last two seasons and has only managed to impress.
Martinez explained Cleverley’s transfer by saying, "Tom is a very exciting young player and we are delighted he is coming to us," said Martinez. "He can play in a number of positions and will provide us with some good new options, and add great competition to the squad.
"We have been watching him for some time and feel he is the right sort of player to join our squad; young, hungry, desperate to play for the club in the Premier League and to grow with us."
Wigan and Martinez will be hoping that both their new signings can link up together and help the team perform even better than they did last season. If the two manage to do just that, then Wigan could surprise the league by breaking into the top ten.
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