Use Rosler is delighted to have tied up a deal for Markus Holgersson, and believes the Swede can have an big impact at Wigan Athletic.
Although the transfer window officially closed at 11pm last Friday, the Swedish defender was available on a free having been released by New York Red Bulls towards the end of last year. And Rosler has handed the 28-year-old the chance to prove his quality in England, having lured him to the DW Stadium on an initial deal for the rest of the season.
Holgersson, who won his one and only international cap during a 5-0 win over Qatar in January 2012, has spent his entire career in his homeland aside from the two years he had in the MLS. And whilst Rosler accepts the 6ft 3in centre-half will have to quickly adapt to life in England, he feels his new addition can make a big impact in Lancashire.
“Markus is 28, at the best age of his career, and he offers us the kind of qualities we are looking for,” he told the Evening Post. “He is a ball-playing centre-half, a very smart player, who understands he has to adapt very quickly to the physicality of the English game. He has been training back in Sweden with Helsingborgs for the last few weeks and he has impressed us with his fitness levels. You could see straight away that he was in a good condition.”
Wigan, who won the FA Cup last season but were then relegated from the Premier League, are aiming to make an instant return to the top-flight, although this would almost certainly have to be via the playoffs as they are now 16 points adrift of the top-two. However, they are only seven points behind sixth-place Reading with two games in hand.
Having suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers last month, the Latics have collected four points in their last two matches. They travel to Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon, when Holgersson could debut, followed by a trip to Sheffield Wednesday the following Tuesday. They then continue their unlikely defence of the FA Cup with the visit of Premier League side Cardiff City on 15 February.
