According to Phil Kirkbride of the Liverpool Echo, Wigan Athletic are ‘determined’ to sign Joe Williams. Director Joe Royle is said to be an ‘admirer’ of the Everton midfielder. Wigan had a bid of £1m rejected earlier this summer but could be lining up a fresh offer to procure his signature.
The 22-year-old doesn’t appear to have a future at Goodison Park with Williams yet to feature in the first-team. The former England u20 international has spent the last two years on loan at Barnsley (July 20, 2017 – May 31, 2018) and Bolton Wanderers (August 23, 2018 – May 31, 2019) as he’s low down the pecking order under Marco Silva.
With Idrissa Gueye, Andre Gomes, Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, Fabian Delph and James McCarthy ahead of Williams, it’s no surprise he’s been on the periphery. The midfielder was a regular at Barnsley (38 appearances) and Bolton (30 appearances), so his vast Championship experience might help in him locating a suitor.
The closest Williams has got to first-team football at Everton is being in the matchday squad on six occasions – vs Krasnodar (December 11, 2014), Manchester United (April 4, 2017), Leicester City (April 9, 2017), Swansea City (May 6, 2017), Watford (May 12, 2017), Arsenal (May 21, 2017). He could be on his way out without ever making his Everton debut at senior level, however.