Wigan manager Leam Richardson has signed a new three-year contract at the Sky Bet Championship club.
Having taken over in November 2020 with Latics in administration, the 42-year-old helped the club avoid relegation from League One.
Richardson led Wigan to the title the following season and they are currently sitting 19th in the second tier.
Chief executive Malachy Brannigan told the club’s website: “We are all delighted that Leam has committed his future to the club and that he wants to continue to develop his career at the DW Stadium.
“While the terms have been agreed for a while now – although not as far back as June 2021 – everyone concerned wanted to wait and officially announce the news during a short visit to Bahrain this week, to discuss a number of club matters with Mr Al Jasmi and Talal (Al Hammad).
“Leam has their full support and everyone is aligned on what the short, medium and long-term goals are for the football operation.
“Delivering a championship-winning team less than 12 months after avoiding relegation, while instilling a culture and spirit of togetherness, reflects Leam’s character, and those of his staff, and there is a determined resolve to continue to build on the foundations already in place.”
Meanwhile, Brannigan played down reports suggesting the club are for sale amid speculation that players had not been paid.
He added: “The current and future financial health of Wigan Athletic is strong and very secure, and I can confirm that the club is not up for sale.
“Speculation over clubs being for sale is always rife, and while some potential purchasers have approached the ownership group on a number of occasions since its acquisition of Wigan Athletic in March 2021, no approaches have ever been entertained.
“Football is a business that is very much in the public eye and, at times, brings a level of scrutiny not experienced by many other industries.
“Where appropriate, I am extremely mindful of our duty to inform and notify as many of our stakeholders of club matters in a timely manner, but there are times where such scrutiny impacts on those who work within the club on a personal level; discussing pay and payroll is one such topic.
“I can assure you that funding has never been the reason for any previous delay, and this is still the position in this situation.
“We are aware of what needs to be done to make sure a late payment situation doesn’t happen again under our tenure, especially as they have recently been as a consequence of a banking process that took much longer than it should have done, once the funds were in the system.”
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