A consistent if unglamorous pick in recent seasons, many Fantasy managers have enjoyed a flirtatious relationship with Wigan’s Hugo Rodallega. With Charles N’Zogbia long the reigning belle of the Wigan ball, and heavy investment in an inconsistent side understandably rare, Rodallega’s liaisons with our squads have tended to be brief and furtive affairs.
Perennially priced around the 6.0 mark in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), a record boasting 272 points over the previous couple of seasons belies the Colombian’s girl-next-door reputation, and with N’Zogbia tying the knot with Aston Villa in August, Rodallega’s opportunity to step out of the shadows seemed finally to have arrived.
Fortune seldom scripts a straightforward ascent for would-be heroes, and a knee injury in September consigned Rodallega to the treatment table in what should have been his hour of triumph. Struggling to regain full fitness, his re-introduction to Premier League society was a stop-start affair. Seemingly burdened by Wigan’s reliance on his goals, a slump in form was exacerbated by uncertainty over his future. While a mooted move to Fulham may fail to come to fruition, a summer move seems a certainty, and, in the meantime, a fully fit and firing Rodallega looks to have his head back in the game and a determination that his last hurrah for Wigan will lead them to Premier League salvation. It’s worth noting that a transfer to Fulham could also prove dividend, though, with the Cottagers’ fixtures and strong home form affording their attacking options plenty chances of points.
Scoring or assisting every one of his side’s goals since the end of gameweek 16, Rodallega’s fine fettle has been the only ray of light in a gloomy winter for a side now happily poised on the shore of a sea of season-ticker blue.Wigan’s reliance on the Colombian hitman has never been more palpable, and Martinez’s apparent decision to let him walk away on a free transfer in the summer appears a judicious sacrifice for the Latics’ Premier League survival prospects.
A tricky away trip to Spurs is followed by a mouth-watering run of games (EVE bol AVL SWA nor WBA) in which Martinez’s men will be keenly aware that they must conquer or perish. Anything but prolific scorers in recent weeks, Wigan certainly have the ethos and the capability to rack up the goals, and with Rodallega back at his best and leading the line, he is more than likely to be involved when, not if, Wigan’s attacks bear fruit. Currently priced at 5.9 in the FPL, Rodallega could offer strong value over the coming Gameweeks, and, with setbacks overcome, the script seems to be set for a heroic final act to the Colombian’s Latics story.
