Source: SKY_Sports
Bruce reveals Latics target
With Wigan Athletic experiencing their best season in the top flight, manager Steve Bruce is hopeful they can hold their form and finish the campaign in the top half of the table.[LNB] The Latics find themselves handily placed in ninth, despite losing key duo Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey in the January transfer window.[LNB]Bruce acknowledges he was loath to lose the pair but is eager for his players to prove they are not in a false position between now and the season's close.[LNB]"The changes that we've made during the transfer window were not exactly want I wanted to do, but we were in seventh position for the best part of two months and although we've slipped a little, we have to climb back up now," he told skysports.com. [LNB]"Can we stick in there? Can we hold on? I hope so.[LNB]"The players we sold we were left with very little choice on, since there were four who were out of contract at the end of the season and we had to let them go for the money; all due respect, we are Wigan Athletic. We need to balance the books."[LNB]Bruce accepts in the case of Palacios' sale to Tottenham the economics of the deal made it impossible for Wigan to refuse.[LNB]"But the changes were forced and when you get a team willing to pay £14million for a player who you bought in for £1m, you have to take it; clubs like ours have got to take it," he added.[LNB]"The money was put back into the squad and hopefully we'll be stronger in the long run.[LNB]Reinvested"We recouped up to £18m in sales and spent £6m on Charles N'Zogbia from Newcastle United, £4.5m on Hugo Rodallega from Mexican side Necaxa, and £1.5m on Ben Watson from Crystal Palace. [LNB]"So we've invested the vast majority. And then I'll sit down with the chairman over the next couple of months, see what we've got planned for the summer, see what's in the coffers and then we'll go again.[LNB]"Before then, we've got the challenge of finishing in the top half, and we're driven, ambitious and confident enough to believe that will happen."[LNB]The Latics travel to Sunderland in the Premier League this Saturday.[LNB]
