Martial Godo – Welcome to Wigan Athletic

It wouldn’t be deadline day without Latics being involved would it? As we approach the final few hours of the summer transfer window the club have announced the loan signing of Martial Godo from Premier League side Fulham. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder comes in to add depth out wide or centrally and has a lot of promise about him.

He’s been one of the most stand out players in PL2 so far this season with six goals from his first four games, and appears to be picking up a lot of interest and excitement from a lot of people. Fulham fans rate him highly with many of them calling for him to be involved in their first team squad during cup games, so that’s positive for sure.

He’ll have to be special to get regular game time in our forward line given the amount of depth and quality we have in those positions, but some of his attributes aren’t possessed by anyone else in our squad which is why we’ve brought him in. What are those attributes you ask? Well, you know how these articles work by now I’m sure, keep reading and find out…

What does he bring to the side?

What is the one attribute Shaun Maloney has been desperate for ever since he took over? What is the one attribute that gets supporters off their seats and excited more than any other. What attribute do we desperately need when counterattacking sides or breaking down low blocks? Pace. And Martial Godo has pace to burn.

He’s a quick, tricky winger whose first thought is to carry the ball forward and take his opponent on 1v1. In the small amount of footage I’ve seen, as well as reading reports and asking people who’ve watched him regularly in PL2, it appears he’ll always take the positive option and focus on ball progression rather than retention, which I think we need out wide.

Equally, if played centrally we’d have a quick ball carrying option in a position we haven’t really had one in so that’s always nice. Maloney spoke about wanting to bring in a missing profile to the squad and a genuinely quick forward is definitely one of them. He’s right footed and favours playing on the left so he’ll likely be competing with Thelo, Lang and McManaman for a spot in the first team.

This graphic shows Godo in the wide space, hugging the touchline and pulling a low block away from their compact structure. If we can get the ball to him in these positions he’ll have space to run into, attack his marker and enter the box in a dangerous position. His end product from the corner of the six yard box looks good so that’s where we want to get him as often as possible.

From this position it allows Tom Pearce to occupy the left half space, from which he can deliver his whipped crosses into the box from deep which is a real skill of his. However, in the interests of variety and unpredictability theirs the possibility for the pair to swap and that would look something like this…

Here we have Godo in the half space closer to the opposition defenders. His close control is good and we can be confident in his ability to fend off opponents in close quarters, as well as beat them with tricks or a blurts of pace. Cutting in on his right foot opens up the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the box or play quick passes with other Latiics players in and around the box.

It would allow Tom Pearce to overlap him down the left wing and be available for the reverse pass should Godo choose to use it. This 2v1 out wide will make us very hard to defend against and the addition of pace to our side should aid our current struggles against low blocks and teams unwilling to come at us.

And if they do we’ve got a genuine threat on the counter attack. His off the ball attributes remain to be seen but if we can get him working hard defensively and positionally aware of his responsibilities we can use him regularly for a number of roles. I imagine he’ll start as an impact player off the bench and his skillset certainly suits a job like that.

Where might he play?

He’s been playing out wide for Fulham’s U21 team this season and you’d imagine that’s where he’ll play for Latics too. Maloney has shown a willingness to play inverted or traditional wingers so he’d be suited to either side, although I think his skillset lends itself most to playing off the left and linking up with an overlapping LB.

He has been used centrally before and I would be interested to see if he’d work in the Callum Lang role. That will largely depend on what he’s like out of possession but if the work rate and intelligence is there it could be a good option. Pace and trickery in central areas is so hard to defend against and would free up other players around him too.

A slight issue for me is that he doesn’t appear to be able to play up top which I would’ve liked ideally. However, his addition means there’s less reliance on Humphrys to play out wide and therefore he can be used through the middle if needs be. It’s a congested position but the more quality options we have the better I suppose.

Final Thoughts

It’s a decent way to finish off a very good transfer window for Latics. People will have their opinions on positions we might be short in but given the restrictions we’ve been working within it’s been very successful. Martial Godo is an exciting player in great form and we could have a real talent on our hands if his upward trajectory continues.

What it means for the likes of Chris Sze and Josh Stones I’m not sure but I’m sure there’ll get a go at times too. Ultimately this signing is about adding something new to our squad and I’m hopeful that the pace and trickery of Godo will be a real point of difference for us in a lot of games this season.

All five loan spots have now been used and the squad looks well stocked. I’m sure it’ll be enough to get us through to January and hopefully continue to push us up the league table. It was already the most exciting young squad in the league, and the arrival of this talented youngster will only add to the youthful exuberance!

Welcome to Wigan Athletic, Martial Godo!