Former Sheffield Wednesday target and Owls loanee becomes free agent as Wigan Athletic release six

Bennett spent a period on loan with Wednesday in the first half of 2016, and despite injury limiting his appearances there was reportedly a deal in place for him to join the club on a permanent basis once his temporary deal came to an end.

The then 26-year-old had been on his way to Hillsborough before eventually joining Cardiff City, Aston Villa owner, Tony Xia, pulling the plug at the eleventh hour after insisting that they wouldn’t sell to a fellow promotion contender.

He’s went on to play for the Bluebirds for five seasons before his two-year spell at Wigan - and now the 33-year-old will be on the lookout for the next chapter of his career, alongside five of his Latics teammates.

They said in a statement, “Wigan Athletic can confirm its retained list following the conclusion of the 2022/23 Sky Bet Championship campaign.

“Captain Tendayi Darikwa will depart the Football Club after two-and-a-half seasons of service, while Steven Caulker, Joe Bennett, Ryan Nyambe, Jordan Cousins and Gwion Edwards will also leave when their respective contracts expire on 30 June 2023.

“Latics loanees Omar Rekik, Martin Kelly, Miguel Azeez, Christ Tiéhi, Danel Sinani and Ashley Fletcher have also returned to their parent clubs following the completion of the season.”