Edman has left the club on a free transfer

It was announced last week that Latics’ Swedish international left back Erik Edman had returned to Helsingborgs, the club where he made his name, having struggled to regain a place in Martinez’s first team after a spate of injuries.

It’ll be surprising to some that Edman made only nine league appearances in his two-year spell at Wigan, and that he was once a regular fixture in the Swedish international team. However, a short time after he joined the Latics, he sustained a serious knee injury that would keep him out for the remainder of the 2007/2008 season and also Euro 2008.

Unfortunately for Edman, he’ll be remembered by many as a member of the Wigan side that lost 9-1 to Tottenham in November. Since then, he has been on the fringes of the first team, on standby as replacement for Maynor Figueroa, and the club have allowed him to move to Helsingborgs on a free transfer to find first team football.

I prefer to remember Erik as the man who, up until his injury, so ably filled the void left by Leighton Baines. Though his appearances were limited, he impressed under Steve Bruce and were it not for an unfortunate challenge, I reckon we’d have had a long term stalwart that would have gone down in Latics lore as one of the best defenders we’ve had at the club.

Alas it was not to be, and with Figueroa now the man in possession of the left back berth, we bid Erik a fond farewell and wish him every success in the future. I really hope he goes on to bigger things, and the Tottenham game does not ruin his career because we’ve seen plenty of talent there, a sentiment echoed by the Swedish FA, who’ve called on him for international duty on 57 occasions.

Brucey wants Fig Roller

It’s being reported once again in this morning’s press that former Latics gaffer Steve Bruce wants Maynor Figueroa to follow him to Sunderland. The whole thing is certainly no secret, as Bruce has been trying to nab the Honduran for a good few months; since he left for the Black Cats, in fact.

Bruce, who first brought Figueroa to the Wigan in December 2008, has already captured former Latics man Lee Cattermole and wants to boost his defensive credentials ahead of what he hopes will be a European-challenging 2009/10 campaign. Sunderland currently lie eighth in the table, two points behind an ailing Liverpool and just four points away from a European cup spot.

Fans of both Wigan and Sunderland will no doubt remember Bruce’s protracted battle for Cattermole, who eventually left Latics for a fee in the region of £8million, only to be injured in just his eighth competitive game for the Black Cats. Many claimed the ‘curse of Wigan’ had struck once again, but in truth, this type of injury is always on the cards with a player such as Catts.

Figueroa faces up to another four weeks on the sidelines after sustaining a serious knee injury during Latics’ 3-1 win over Burnley last month, but is expected to recover in time for the January transfer window. Figures in the region of five or six million are being touted, though you can expect Dave Whelan to scrap for every extra penny.

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