How Good Will Valencia be for Wigan?

August 27th, 2006 | By: Trent | 6 Comments »

Answer: Very good. Yesterday, Wigan beat Reading 1-0 at the JJB behind an Emile Hesky goal. Valencia played another great match for the Latics; his passing and crosses have been superb so far.

And Wigan manager Paul Jewell agrees with me:

I am delighted with the way he has settled in. He does not speak the language but that has not hindered him. The lad came in for the friendly against Vitesse Arnhem and played for 10 minutes after flying in that morning. I could not be more pleased with him and he is going to be an exciting player for us.

Update: Thanks, kn and Robbie, for the updates. As you all know, the voters picked Valencia as the best young player at the WC this past summer. Of course FIFA tossed that aside and picked someone from a bigger country, but what can you do? At any rate, Valencia is an awesome player, a great signing for Wigan, and, I think, the player that may open the eyes of European fans to the idea that Ecuador can produce world-class talent.

Count me as a Wigan fan for this season.

Tags: Ecuador, JJB, Latics, Paul Jewell, Reading, Valencia, Wigan

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Comments

By kn | August 27th, 2006 at 8:50 pm

According to the article above by ESPN, Valencia forced the opposite goalie to make a wonderful save by one of his shots. That’s Luis Valencia, all right!

By Robbie | August 28th, 2006 at 12:57 am

Also the sunday times (one of the biggest english newspapers) named Valencia as the star man in the wigan reading match and gave him the highest score of any in that match with an 8. Here is what they said:

‘At this stage Jewell is content for Heskey to concentrate on his club form, but the international stage has done Wigan a favour by throwing up midfielder Luis Antonio Valencia. The 21-year-old caught Jewell’s eye while he was watching Ecuador on the television during the World Cup finals and when he got out to Germany his first impressions were rubber-stamped, leading to a season-long loan deal from Villareal.
Valencia was the game’s outstanding performer on the right-hand side of midfield, providing a constant option in attack and also prepared to track back and get in the kind of vital block that thwarted Reading substitute Stephan Hunt, when he sensed a possible equaliser just before Lita passed up the chance of a point.’

Posted from Ireland