Manager hoping McCarthy will get Premier move

With the transfer window due to close on September 2, Giovanni Trapattoni admitted he is keen for James McCarthy to get a move back to the top flight in England.

And the manager also revealed yesterday he has spoken to the player about his chances of leaving Wigan.

“James said to me about the possibility of moving club,” said Trapattoni.

“I wish he could change clubs because the Championship is different.

“The Premier League has another quality, top quality.”

Although the highly-rated midfielder has long been linked with a stellar cast of supposed suitors including Arsenal, Spurs and Everton, he remains on the books of the Championship side who were relegated from the top division last season.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan reiterated his willingness to let the player go if the price is right.

“I remember when James came down to sign for us with his mum and dad,” said Whelan. “I said to them ‘Listen, we’ll look after your son. And when he gets to a level where he’s ready to go, we’ll let him move on’.

“I’ll keep my promise on that one, but the truth is we haven’t had the right deal. He hasn’t asked for a move and he is really happy here. We may lose one or two yet, we don’t know. The Premier League clubs tend to wait and wait and then step in at the last minute.”