Wigan boss reveals call with Premier League manager before Arsenal clash in FA Cup

Wigan are aiming to beat the Premier League leaders this weekend when they meet Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup but must do so without their permanent manager. Whelan has been appointed as an interim after the sacking of Ryan Lowe following a 6-1 thumping by Peterborough United. The Latics currently sit third-from-bottom in League One and have won just seven of their 30 fixtures thus far.

Whelan has now revealed he has spoken with Brentford boss Keith Andrews, having played alongside the Bees manager for the Republic of Ireland during his international career. Brentford are currently seventh in the Premier League table, just five points behind Manchester United in fourth, and Whelan admits the "first thing" he did was speak to his old team-mate. 

Of course, Brentford held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in midweek, striking a blow against the Gunners' Premier League title chances.

Whelan told the Off The Ball podcast: “It’s the first thing I’ve done this morning. Especially with him and [fellow former Irish footballer, now Brentford’s set-piece coach] Stephen Rice on the set plays - we’re all pulling in the same direction."

On Andrews' work at Brentford, he said: "[It has been] unbelievable.

“I think he was probably one of the favourites to be sacked [before the season]. Obviously there’s been a lot of change at Brentford, both player-wise and staff-wise, and to come in and pick the pieces up like he’s done, he’s been a breath of fresh air.

“And not just for me, for any young coach now you’re looking at Keith now as moving forward to try and gain experience from, to try and learn whatever you can from him, because what he’s done and how he’s represented himself in front of TV cameras is unbelievable.

“He’s doing us all proud.”

Arsenal drew with Brentford in their most recent outing, but manager Mikel Arteta insists his side will be ready for their upcoming cup test. 

He told reporters: "Every three days we are playing different competitions so we are so used to it. So we will reflect on the game [Brentford], take the positive, the learnings for sure that we have to improve and go on Sunday again with the energy and the batteries fully charged to go and win the game.

"It's an opportunity for the team, again, with another competition, and the history that we have related to that competition, it's amazing. We'll play at home again. I'm really excited to recover and go again."

Arsenal have not won the FA Cup since 2020, something Arteta knows the Gunners need to fix. 

He added: "We haven't been good enough on that day, and when you come to a competition, you have to be excellent on the day, and the rest, the shirt that you wear, or the badge that you wear, is irrelevant. So we're going to have to prove that against Wigan again on Sunday."

Arsenal will play Wigan on Saturday. The Gunners then face Wolves when they return to Premier League action, while the Latics will follow up against Luton. 

Both Arsenal and Wigan are previous winners of the competition but their paths have rather diverged since their respective Wembley victories.