Leam Richardson distances himself from West Brom links ahead of Sunderland vs Wigan Athletic

Ex-Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was sacked by West Brom after eight months in charge at the Hawthorns earlier this week.

Bruce’s backroom team consisting of former Sunderland man Steve Agnew plus Stephen Clemence and Alex Bruce have also left the club.

However, Wigan boss Richardson was the favourite to take the West Brom job with BetVictor offering odds of just 2/1 on the switch on Monday.

When asked whether the situation would distract his attention from his duties at Wigan, Richardson replied: "You know me as a person, what do you think? Thank you very much."

Wigan Today also states that it would take a lot to prise Richardson away from the DW Stadium, especially after one of the stands was named after him following his exploits on and off the pitch.

The Latics and Black Cats are set to square off at the Stadium of Light this coming Saturday in the Championship as Tony Mowbray’s side looks for a first win in five games.

The Black Cats haven’t tasted victory since Reading away on September 14, following that result up with draws against Watford, Blackpool and Preston plus a defeat to Swansea City last weekend.

Wigan have also suffered an injury blow coming into the game with goalkeeper Jamie Jones facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a freak injury on the training ground.

Jones, who is the club’s captain, has missed Wigan’s last two games with Richardson admitting that it could be some time before he is able to return.