Following reports linking Emile Heskey with a move to Tottenham Wigan chairman Dave Whelan says the striker would be allowed to leave.

The England international has been hugely influential at the JJB Stadium, but Whelan insists the club would not keep him there against his will.

The latest reports have linked Heskey with a move to White Hart Lane in January after Spurs lost top strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.

Whelan said: "We don't want Emile to go, but football is football.

"If somebody pays enough money and Emile wants to go we would never try to keep a player.

"We don't want him to leave and he's happy here, but if anything develops Emile will have the final say."