Wigan Athletic are a club who are seemingly moving in the right direction once more, after enduring turbulent years of late, including a period of administration lasting from July 2020–March 2021, and being subject to a winding up petition during the summer of 2023.
The Latics were rescued from that fate by current owner Mike Danson, who purchased the club last summer and has brought in an ethos of sustainability, a quality not well followed by the club’s previous two ownership groups.
Manager Shaun Maloney has done a stellar job with the Greater Manchester outfit, by guiding the side he used to play for to a top-half League One finish despite beginning the campaign with an eight point deduction, and being under a transfer embargo for the last two windows.
With the Greater Manchester team, manager Shaun Maloney has done an outstanding job leading the team he used to play for to a top-half League One finish despite starting the season with an eight-point deduction and having a transfer ban in place for the previous two windows.
Maloney has made the most of his club’s young academy products, as demonstrated by the 2023–24 season performances of players like Charlie Hughes and Sam Tickle, two England youth internationals.
The likelihood of the former Hibernian manager being able to recruit players is high because the 41-year-old has performed effectively with minimal resources, finishing in an unexpected 12th place despite only being permitted to use free agent signings, graduates of youth academies, and players signed by previous managers.
A former summer signing that the Brick Community Stadium faithful will never forget is Max Power, who initially arrived in Greater Manchester from Tranmere Rovers in 2015.
Latics should always strive to emulate Power transfer
The 21-year-old former Tranmere player joined Latics in the summer of 2015 and went on to establish himself as a mainstay of the team, winning three League One titles with Wigan in two different stints.
Maloney ought to be eager to add seasoned players to the team, but Power is evidence that youthful additions may develop into seasoned promotion winners.
During the 2015–16 third-tier season, the central midfielder scored six goals and provided eight assists, which helped the Latics win the 2016 League One championship.
He did not, however, score any goals but did provide six assists, which was insufficient to keep the Greater Manchester team from being demoted from the Championship the next season.
However, Power returned to form with the Latics in 2018, helping to score five goals and assist seven more as they defeated Blackburn Rovers, their local rivals, to win the third division title.
In the summer of 2018, he decided to quit the team, which was then run by Paul Cook, and join Sunderland, where he remained until making a return visit to the stadium that was once known as DW Stadium in the summer of 2021.
He helped the Latics win his third League One title with the team in 2022 after the Black Cats were unable to promote him for three straight seasons.
The former Tranmere player reached new heights in the 2021–2022 campaign, netting three goals and dishing out twelve assists. He also demonstrated his value playing both conventional midfield duties and at right-back for Wigan under Leam Richardson.
Ironically, the Black Cats advanced through the play-offs that season and went on to establish themselves as a reliable Championship team, while the Latics were demoted to the third division in 2023, forcing Power to relocate to Saudi Arabia.
Power is a fan favourite
Power’s three promotions from League One have made him an absolute cult hero in WN5, even though he was never able to produce in the Championship. He also played a part in the team’s surprising 1-0 FA Cup victory over Manchester City in 2017–18, which saw the third-tier team advance to the quarterfinals.
Over the years, he has also delighted fans with spectacular goals, such as goals against Chesterfield and Swindon Town in 2016 that sent the Latics, then led by Gary Caldwell, stumbling toward championships.
Although Power will be difficult for any other summer acquisition the organization makes to replace, he is a great model to have in place for the Latics’ hiring staff.
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