GOMEZ’S LATICS RETURN PROVES A NO-GO
WIGAN Athletic manager Gary Caldwell revealed his side almost made a deadline day swoop for former star Jordi Gomez – but the Latics boss felt he had to put the club’s best interests above his desire to reunite with his old team-mate.
Striker Gomez, 30, – who made 127 appearances for the Latics before joining Sunderland in the summer of 2014 – eventually joined Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of the season.
Caldwell played alongside Gomez between 2010 and 2014 and was keen to bring him back to Wigan, but the Spaniard’s wages ultimately proved too big a stumbling block.
“Jordi’s agent did give us a call, and it was there,” Caldwell said.“But I felt we were fine in that area, and financially it was a difficult one to do. Jordi is a player I played with and know the quality he has.
“It would have been great to have him back, but it wasn’t to be.
“I work for the football club and I have to do the right things for the football club – that’s what I get paid to do.
“If it doesn’t make sense financially, then we’re not going to do it.We have to work within certain budgets, and we have done that.
“We’ve only signed players who fit into our pay scale and what we’re trying to do in terms of the age group and the potential we want to bring in.
“It’s a long-term process and many different things come into it.”
Caldwell admitted he would like to revive the deal in the summer – but only if Wigan win promotion back to the Championship.
“You never know, in football you have to be open to everything,” Caldwell said. “We’ll look at that in the summer, when hopefully we will have that problem.”
Heading into the weekend programme, the Latics were fourth in League One, four points off automatic promotion.