Wigan Athletic coach Anthony Barry is close to joining the coaching team at Chelsea, reports The Sun.

The 34-year-old is an ex-player, having represented the likes of Coventry City, Forest Green Rovers, Accrington Stanley and Yeovil Town. He spent 13 years as a player before joining Paul Cook's Wigan.

Reports claim that Barry and Lampard became acquainted during coaching courses in recent years, and now the Chelsea boss is moving to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

It comes after Wigan Athletic were relegated - the club entered administration soon after the restart and were deducted 12 points, resulting in their relegation to League One.

The seven question Wigan Athletic quiz. Can you get 7 out of 7?

Several players have since left, as well as manager Paul Cook. Now it looks like Barry will be on his way out too, with the report claiming that he was in London this week as he finalised his move.

As for Chelsea, they've had an exciting summer. They've signed both Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner after a disappointing end to last season, with several other names expected to join before the start of the 2020/21 season.

Wigan meanwhile have a contested future ahead. They're involved in an ongoing case with the EFL and currently don't have a manager.

The verdict

Barry is a highly-regarded name in the coaching game, and Lampard can do worse than to bring him into Chelsea. He's really looking like he's building a revolution at Chelsea but for Wigan, these are truly desperate times. Barry could've made for a potential manager going into League One next season, but their search will go on.