Balogun Seeks Fresh Start At Wigan Athletic

Nigeria defender Leon Balogun is looking forward to a fresh start at Sky Bet Championship club Wigan Athletic.

Balogun linked up with the Latics on a six-month loan deal from Premier League side Brighton& Hove Albion on transfer deadline day.

Speaking to Latics TV after his first training session at the Wigan Athletic Training Centre, Balogun said:

“I had a good two days to organise some things back in Brighton and now I’m glad I’m here.

“I drove up on Sunday, it was a nice peaceful drive, but I was happy to get the journey done because it’s quite a long way.

“Joining up with the lads was the perfect timing. I congratulated them on the win against Leeds on Saturday, it was massive for the team.

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“It was really good to start the week like that, with that kind of spirit. The lads who played in the game tried to keep things low key because they were still in recovery.

“I got the chance to meet some of the young kids as well and my first training session was fun, my first day made me very happy to be here.”

Balogun continued: I’m very impressed with the facilities here. I love the showers, which is a bit funny, but everyone at Brighton will understand,” he joked.

“At Brighton, it’s either hot or cold, here you can change the temperature.”

Speaking of Brighton, the 31-year-old explained how former Latics favourite Dan Burn had a part to play in his loan move to the DW Stadium.

“I spoke to Dan (Burn) before I travelled here. He’s a great guy and I know that he has a very successful past at this club, and he’s doing very well at Brighton.

“He told me about the manager and the group because he’s still in touch with a fair amount of them. He said it’s a great group here and a good team, who play good football.”

With Latics heading into a home double-header against Preston North End and Middlesbrough off the back of consecutive victories, Balogun added:

“The season hasn’t gone as the club wanted so far, but from what I have seen from the footage I watched when I was trying to gather some information about the club, I like what I see.

“Now it’s on us to take on this challenge. The win on Saturday was massive and it’s another step in the right direction. I’m happy to come in and play my part in mastering this challenge together.”