Wigan Athletic captain Arjan de Zeeuw fears more of the club's best players will follow Jimmy Bullard out of JJB stadium at the end of this season.
Top of De Zeeuw's list of potential departures is Pascal Chimbonda, who on Sunday was named in the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year.
The French right-back, who joined Wigan last summer for what has since proven a bargain £500,000 from Bastia, has been linked with other clubs in recent weeks due to his stunning form.
"He has been our best player by far this season," remarked De Zeeuw. "He has been very consistent, always positive and he always has a smile on his face. He's had his time at Wigan to put him in the spotlight.
"It would be great if we could keep him, but when big clubs come in, it's hard to keep a player like that."
Chimbonda is not the only player De Zeeuw feels manager Paul Jewell could struggle to hold onto over the closed season.
"It's going to be hard work for the manager this summer because there will be one or two players who might go because they have had exceptional seasons," added De Zeeuw.
"Pascal is a rumour that's been going around for a while, while Jimmy Bullard has had a fantastic season, as has Lee McCulloch and Gary Teale.
"There are always going to be rumours because we as a team have performed well this season.
"These are people who have proved themselves in the Premiership, so there are going to be clubs interested in them."
