Wigan Athletic Set for Shock Takeover From Wealthy Chinese Group as Dave Whelan Looks to Sell

Wigan Athletic are set for a shock takeover, with the club owned by Dave Whelan since 1995, now the subject of interest from a Far East consortium, according to The Sun. 

Whelan has been open to a buy-out since stepping back from the running of the team - ironically after remarks about Chinese people. 

His grandson David Sharpe took over running the club and oversaw the appointment of current manager Paul Cook. 

Whelan first became involved with Wigan in 1995, the club at the time were residing in the bottom tier of English football. They were promoted to the second division (now League One) in 1997 and marked their final season at Springfield Park in 1999 by lifting the Football League Trophy at Wembley. 

Whelan personally funded much of the £30m to build the JJB Stadium which the Lactics moved into for the 1999-2000 season. 

Having lost in the playoffs three times, Wigan finally made it to the Championship in 2003 as they won the title with 100 points and two years later, Paul Jewell took them into the Premier League. 

Wigan would enjoy eight seasons in the top flight, but their best finish came in their first season in 2005-06, finishing 10th. They would also reach the League Cup Final that season, losing 4-0 to Manchester United. 

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The Latics were relegated in 2013, but there was a major silver lining. Ben Watson's stoppage time header won the FA Cup for Wigan against Manchester City in one of the biggest shocks ever in a Wembley final. 

In recent years, Wigan have become a yo-yo club between the Championship and League One, currently in the third tier. 

Four straight wins, including a 3-0 win over Southend on Saturday have moved the Lactics top of the table. 

It remains to be seen whether investment from the Far East is coming for the Lancashire outfit.