The transfer rumour mill is whirring with news that Titus Bramble is on the verge of sealing a move to Sunderland to re-join former boss Steve Bruce. The much-maligned Bramble, who has not made a catastrophic error for approximately 472 hours of football, will be thrust into a Sunderland camp that already boasts the likes of Michael Turner, Paulo Da Silva, Matt Kilgallon and Anton Ferdinand, all vying for central defensive roles.

The real oddity of this “deal” however concerns Wigan who, in contrast to the Black Cats, now appear to be woefully short on resources in a defence that goes into the new season having conceded a morale-sapping 72 goals last term.

Bizarrely however, such defensive instability could be good news for Wigan’s Fantasy investors. A few early goals could lead to them being forced to chase matches and when you consider that they are blessed with four of their first five fixtures on the notorious DW Stadium turf, suddenly the appeal of mid-price attacking assets such as Charles N’Zogbia, Hugo Rodallega and new signing Mauro Boselli, start to look that little bit more attractive…

Let’s address those concerns with the Wigan backline first.

With Gary Caldwell suspended for his red received at Chelsea on the final day, Bramble’s departure would leave boss Roberto Martinez with new signing Antolin Alcaraz, Emmerson Boyce, Spanish flop Antonio Amaya and the inexperienced bulk of Steve Gohouri to man the central positions.

Paul Scharner, a player often drafted back into defence when needs arise, has is busily looking for a new club having been freed up from his contract, whilst former club skipper Mario Melchiot has also left the club. Maynor Figueroa meanwhile is also continually subject to speculation surrounding a move. His mind could be elsewhere even if he starts in the blue stripes come August 14.

Martinez has spoken out on the club squad, stressing that his business in the transfer market is far from over. The imminent signing of Hamilton’s midfielder James McArthur reported only today demonstrates intent but hardly helps bolster the beleaguered backline.

With a crocked Chris Kirkland nursing renewed back problems, Wigan will likely go into their opener against Blackpool with Bolton loanee Ali Al Habsi playing in front of a patched-back four, with potentially a couple of debuts amongst them.

Even with those four home matches, clean sheets seem set to evade Wigan once again. Bramble may, at times, display the concentration of a particularly absent-minded goldfish, but his imminent departure does little to improve Wigan’s short-term defensive prospects.

With clean sheets looking a long-shot once again, Martinez will surely have to send his side out to attack in front of their own fans early on in the season. That could play into the hands of Wigan’s attacking protagonists and offer some rewards brave enough to risk short-term investment at the DW stadium.