Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion are competing to rescue long-serving captain Sam Morsy from crisis-hit Wigan Athletic, according to The Star.
It didn’t take long for the vultures to circle.
After Wigan were plunged into administration, not to mention a Championship relegation battle they appeared to have escaped thanks to a remarkable run of form since the turn of the year, the Latics are already courting interest for some of their star performers.
Joe Gelhardt, Cedric Kipre and goalkeeper David Marshall have all been linked with the exit already – but Morsy could be the biggest loss of all.
The seven-time Egypt international is one of the longest-serving members of Paul Cook’s overachieving squad and has captained the side since 2017.
Now, with Wigan facing up to the prospect of stripping their assets in order to raise valuable funds, Morsy could be set to join his former team-mate Dan Burn at Brighton.
The Star adds, however, that Graham Potter’s in-form side will face competition from bitter rivals Crystal Palace for the 28-year-old midfielder’s signature.
A natural born leader who skippered Chesterfield before moving to Lancashire, Morsy is a huge figure both on and off the pitch at Wigan.
“He trains hard, he lives his life for football, and he’s only ever focused on getting better, which can only rub off on other players,” Cook told Wigan Today in his gravelly tones recently.
“I think a lot of modern-day players are guilty of just enjoying being footballers. But if you’re a footballer, you’ve got a part to play in the community, in the dressing room, and to act as a role model for the football club.
“Sammy does that perfectly for us.”
Such an attitude would go down rather nicely with the old-school Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.
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