Charles N'Zogbia's departure was no surprise

I won’t go into great detail about Latics’ transfer window activity or I’ll be here until 10pm musing over the finer points of Shaun Wright-Phillips’ (somewhat surprising) decision to snub Latics and Bolton in favour of Queens Park Rangers. Come on Shaun, the pies are surely much better (and cheaper) in the north. For a more in-depth viewpoint –minus the pastries–, fellow This Northern Soul contributor Rowba Fett has drafted a comprehensive list of ins and outs over the summer period, which I recommend you at least take a glance at.

Notwithstanding tabloid sensationalism, which has definitely cost Latics the odd high-profile signing in years past and will undoubtedly hinder us in seasons to come, things have been fairly predictable. It was a minor shock that Hugo Rodallega was never in too much demand, at least in the Colombian’s own mind, considering the feverish mainstream media attention he garnered at the end of May. What’s the odds it was another piece of shrewd theatre by the backroom boys, led by Mr Pooles himself, to accrue an astronomical transfer fee for Rodders? To be honest, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. Whatever the case, Hugo is still well and truly a Latic, at least for the time being.

Less surprising was Charles N’Zogbia’s whopping £9.5million move to Aston Villa. Initial reports suggested interest from the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, but they were in all likelihood fabricated codswallop (at least for the most part). The French international became an instrumental part of Roberto Martinez’s continental masterplan and finished last season the club’s leading goalscorer. Most notably, he grabbed two crucial goals in the West Ham great escape that set up survival for Latics, so it’s no surprise he commanded such a hefty fee when Villans supremo Randy Lerner somewhat reluctantly scribbled that extra half a million quid into his chequebook. I bet Victor Moses was grinning like a madman as the move was confirmed on Sky Sports News, and most likely awarded himself a celebratory cereal bar in anticipation of a season of first team football.

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It’s been announced today that Olivier Kapo will finally leave the club after two relatively unsuccessful campaigns. He scored his only league goal towards the end of the 08-09 season in a defeat to Chelsea, and quite a good one it was too. Unfortunately it takes more than a single goal to make a good player, and on too many occasions Kapo, or ‘Krappo‘ as I liked to call him, flattered to deceive. A shame, considering he cost Steve Bruce more than £3 million back in 2007. I think we can chalk that one up as a net loss.

Jason Koumas: On his way

Also seemingly on his way out is Jason Koumas, who shall spend the forthcoming season on loan to Cardiff City, where I am sure he shall do extremely well. He seems to thrive in the Championship environment, but struggles for consistency at the higher levels these days.

At an initial price tag of £5.2 million, I would say Jase also failed to live up to expectations in the long term. He did score one more than Kapo, though, and will be remembered for his goal against Aston Villa in the first game of last season. At least his time at the club wasn’t a complete failure, more of a disappointment.

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Jason Koumas has retired from international football

The past two weeks have been something of a pleasant break for Latics fans, not least because they give us the chance to catch our breath after the non-stop barrage of fixtures the beginning of the season normally brings. There’s been the usual ups and downs, talk of hirings, firings and rollockings as the Latics bumbled their way to three points from four games.

In that respect, it’s a much-needed break, as it also gives Roberto and his squad the opportunity to regroup for this weekend’s clash with West Ham. When I say ‘squad’, I mean a slightly depleted one, what with the international fixtures taking place this week.

One player who won’t be taking to the field for his country any more is Jason Koumas, who’s retired from international football with immediate effect. I suppose this could only be a good thing for Wigan, as he will presumably be concentrating all his efforts on performing on the Premier League stage and sticking in a few goals for us this forthcoming season.

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