A(nother) new era for Wigan Athletic – My Hopes and Expectations

Where were you when the news broke of Wigan Athletic’s takeover at half past three on June 14th? For me I’d just returned from a walk, sun shining and 25 degrees in Wolverhampton (27 degrees in Wigan, so much for it being ‘Grim up North!’) when the wafc hashtag went berserk with joy, relief and a hell of a lot of Jelly and Ice Cream mentions!

It brings an end to several months of turmoil and frustration that at several points looked like they could’ve brought the club to an abrupt end. Just a few days ago on Monday 12th HMRC lodged a winding-up petition against us over unpaid tax bills. Staff wages have either been late or completely absent for most of the season and decision making under this current ownership group has been nothing short of baffling at times.

But anyone that has read an article of mine in recent months will know how much I’ve spoken about them and how much differently I would’ve done 99% of things (smart arse alert yes, but it’s true) so I won’t waste anymore breath on them. Phoenix 2021, you saved us from our lowest point and then almost took us back there. Close the door on your way out.

Now enough of those crooks, let’s take a look at what we know about Wigan Athletic’s new owner Mike Danson and what to expect from him moving forward.

Who, What, Where?

Who is he?

Mike Danson is a Wigan-born, self made Billionaire and the founder and CEO of GlobalData. With a market value of over £1.4bn, the data analytics and consultancy company is hugely successful and employ 2,000 researchers, 800 analysts and 100 journalists. More importantly, they all get paid on time too! He owns 25% of Wigan Warriors and is friendly with their owner Ian Lennagan, a controversial figure amongst Latics fans it has to be said.

What can we expect from him?

We can expect him to stay out of the spotlight and let others do the talking for him. His brief comments in the club statement said everything we need to know – he was born in Wigan, grew up locally and the community of the town is close to his heart. Positive signs for sure. As a businessman he seems extremely savvy and his background in data analysis suggests he’s forward thinking and will encourage a data-driven recruitment approach. I can’t imagine budgets will be set too high and I don’t want them to be, but he has serious wealth and could back us handsomely if he wants to. He seems very switched on though and I’m sure whatever we put in place will be well researched and logical.

Where do Latics go next?

It is my understanding that, despite all of the uncertainty since last season ended, planning for next season was still taking place across some of the backroom departments. Hopefully, the work that has been done will continue and several more plans can be put in place under the new ownership group. There are obviously some outstanding issues that need resolving sooner than others though.

The board of directors is yet to be announced at the time of writing, and the same goes for a new Chief Executive. I’m sure these people are already in place and they can crack on as soon as possible. It will be interesting to see if a Sporting Director / Director of Football is brought in too. Some digging into Companies House suggests former finance guru and Latics fan Richard Bramwell has been reinstated having left the club a year ago, and Danson’s trusted colleague and business partner Ben Goodburn also appears to have been appointed. Neither of these have been announced officially though.

The wage bill needs reducing quickly. We’ve established that Danson is a wealthy man but he won’t want to be paying for a seven-figure wage bill every month and nor should he, it’s ridiculous how much some of our players are on. Talks will be underway when it comes to players moving on and Shaun Maloney will know who he wants in his squad. Several players will be moving on, many of them being the highest earners.

And of course Maloney will be keen to bring players in. The fact we have new ownership means, in theory, we’re back to being an attractive prospect in League One and shouldn’t have a problem attracting talented players to the club. The -8 could be a hindrance but some will see it as an extra incentive and the chance to be part of something special. Get on the sensible transfers articles, Shaun lad!

Then there’s all the other behind the scenes stuff that is key to the day to day running of the club. The commercial side of things needs a boost, new kits and sponsorship deals need agreeing, pre season friendlies and tours need planning and so many other bits and pieces need finalising to ensure we’re on stable footing going into next season. Thankfully there’s still a couple of weeks before pre season usually starts so there is time to get these things underway.

There’s a lot to do and pretty much every other club in the country have had a head start on his in terms of planning ahead. However, we’re in good hands now and the work that’s needed isn’t as drastic as it could’ve been so we can be hopeful and excited at what’s to come.

What’s next for Talking Wigan?

I had been planning on having a break from the website until the new season but I’ve been hit with a new wave of excitement after this takeover. There will be more articles coming out when more information about the new board comes out, as well as transfer pieces about any new signings and maybe sales if something big occurs.

My Sensible Transfers articles were written under the assumption the previous owners would still be in charge so if people would like a new, edited version that’s definitely something I could do. Maybe a mid-transfer window series when a few of my original picks have been signed up already? Let me know on Twitter if you’re keen on some form of new transfer chat from me!

There’s plenty to be excited about now and I hope I can provide some good insight along the way. You can check out my Sensible Transfers articles ahead of next season below, thanks for all the support and see you soon.

• Owen Dale – Welcome to Wigan Athletic
• Ronan Darcy – Welcome to Wigan Athletic
• Oliver Norburn – Welcome to Wigan Athletic
• Jon Mellish – Welcome to Wigan Athletic
• Will Goodwin – Welcome to Wigan Athletic