Wigan – Fortunebets

Wigan have appointed assistant Matt Peet as their new head coach and brought Shaun Wane back to the club.

The club also sprung a surprise with the appointment of former Warrington player and assistant coach Lee Briers to their new-look backroom team.

Peet has replaced Australian Adrian Lam, whose three-year reign was brought to a halt at the end of the 2021 season and, at 37, becomes the youngest head coach in Super League.

His assistants will be Briers, who has ended a 24-year association with Warrington, and ex-Wigan skipper Sean O’Loughlin.

Wane will combine his role as England head coach with that of leadership and management director of the Warriors.

Wigan chairman Ian Lenagan told a news conference: “We have no reservations at appointing from within.

“The individual development and team performance of players and coaches across all Wigan’s squads is of paramount importance for the success of Wigan Warriors.

“Matt Peet is perfectly qualified in every respect to deliver in this role and our significant additional investment in Lee Briers and Shaun Wane is targeted to achieve the success and entertainment Wigan fans deserve and expect.”

Peet has spent more than a decade at his home-town club, working in a range of coaching positions with the academy, reserves and now first team.

He coached the England Academy for four years including tour of Australia in 2016.

At the end of 2018, Peet left his position as Warriors head of youth to join Sale Sharks as head of performance and returned to Wigan in May 2019 as assistant coach with the first team, tasked primarily with coaching defence.

Wigan have announced they have agreed the sale of the club.

The Latics, who went into administration last summer, with the subsequent 12-point deduction relegating them to League One, said in a statement that an agreement had been reached with Phoenix 2021 Limited.

The deal is expected to be completed by March 31 at the latest.

The club said: “We have agreed a sale of the club and related assets to Phoenix 2021 Limited and we are in the process of finalising the transaction.

“Contracts have been exchanged, a deposit has been received and it is envisaged that the sale will be completed by 31 March 2021 at the latest.

“The outstanding matters that need to be finalised to allow completion are practical matters around EFL membership and property transfers.

“The sale allows for non-football creditors to be paid a minimum dividend of 25p in the pound which avoids a 15-point penalty deduction for the club which improves the prospect of remaining in League One this season.

“We are working with the purchaser and their management team to ensure that the sale of the club concludes as soon as possible to allow some much needed stability both on and off the pitch.

“We have also been working closely with the EFL in relation to the sale and liaising regularly with the official supporters club.”

Phoenix 2021 Limited are a UK-based company owned by Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi, who will become the new owner of Wigan, subject to approval by the EFL board.

Talal Al-Hammad, the incoming chairman, said: “I am delighted that we have been successful in our negotiations with the administrators and that we are now able to help restore pride and belief with everyone associated with the club.

“To Latics fans everywhere, we can only guess at the amount of hurt and distress you have felt since the club entered administration and it is now our focus to stabilise its future and to illustrate why we believe we are the best ownership group for the club. We know that we will have to earn your trust through actions rather than words.

“The support and assistance we have received from Caroline Molyneux at the supporters club, David Molyneux and Alison McKenzie-Folan at Wigan Council and all their colleagues, has been outstanding and extremely encouraging for the club’s future, which is one that we wholeheartedly share and are excited about.”

Wigan like in the League One relegation zone on goal different ahead of Tuesday’s trip to bottom side AFC Wimbledon