Talking Wigan Athletic – The Season So Far

As we approach the halfway (sort of) point of the 2024/25 season and the beginning of the January Transfer Window there feels no better time to reflect on what has been and gone in the season so far.

Naturally, it’s been a campaign full of talking points, big moments and plenty of debates among the fanbase, but I’d like to think there has been as much if not more good to talk about than bad.

Wigan Athletic remains a club where off-field success is required as much as on-field success at the moment as we look to finally get back on a stable footing with our new owners, who are doing their best to go about their business quietly behind the scenes on a variety of different focuses.

Personally I have been lucky enough to be involved in the two Fan Advisory Board meetings this season, which have given me the chance to raise my own and other supporters’ concerns and questions to senior figures at the club.

The majority of those discussions have been positive and exciting, and while not all of their words have been matched with actions just yet I am encouraged by their work. I’ll discuss more about that later on in the article.

Initially though I’ll be taking a look at the Latics’ first team squad’s season so far, and giving my thoughts on their performances so far. The same goes for Shaun Maloney too.

Let’s get started!

Player Review

So far this season we have used 29 players in League One, as well as a few extra youngsters in the cup competitions. I’ll be rating those with league minutes – however many or few – below!

Sam Tickle – 9.5 / 10

England is blessed with a number of talented young goalkeepers at the minute, but I am genuinely convinced we have the best one at Wigan Athletic. Sam Tickle is halfway through his second full season of professional football, and I could count the number of bad games he’s had on one hand. This season, while being relied on a lot less than last, he’s won us several points, made some stupidly good saves and has continued to improve as a sweeper keeper.

Sam Tickle is as good as it gets in League One, and will play in the Premier League very soon. We’re extremely lucky to have him, he’s brilliant.

Tom Watson – 6.5 / 10

Playing second fiddle to Sam Tickle can’t be an easy gig, but Tom Watson is continuing to show promise and looks to be developing into another trustworthy young keeper. He featured in all four EFL Trophy games, and won Latics the penalty shootout against Nottingham Forest under-21s with three fantastic saves. He hasn’t done anything spectacular in the way that Tickle has a tendency to do, and some shaky moments against Morecambe and Chesterfield show there’s plenty of development to go, but that’s to be expected at 20 years old.

There is a good chance that Tom Watson has been earmarked as the long-term replacement to Sam Tickle, and if his development continues on an upwards trajectory we’ll have another talent on our hands.

Toby Sibbick – 7 / 10

I was really pleased when we signed Toby Sibbick as I felt he had a lot to offer us across a number of positions, and after a slow-ish start he’s beginning to show his quality now. At centre back he’s probably fourth choice at the moment, but his wonderful performances at right back against Barnsley, Northampton and Bolton have made him a crucial first teamer now. His overlapping runs are already the stuff of Latics legend!

He took his time to make his mark, and there are still some up and down moments, but he’s shown enough to make me excited about the reminder of his time at the club.

James Carragher – 8 / 10

Arguably the biggest plus point of our season has been the breakout of James Carragher. We all knew he was highly thought of in our academy, and naturally came with a bit of extra attention given his surname, but I’ve been so happy to see him make his own name in the game so far. A ferocious defender who has shown the versatility to play across the back four, there’s a lot to like about him and I think the fact we’ve tied him down to a long-term contract speaks volumes.

He’s maybe been unlucky to drop out of the starting eleven recently, but his attitude has remained top notch and he’s been impactful from the bench too. A top campaign so far.

Calvin Ramsay – 5 / 10

I do wonder if there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than people realise with Calvin Ramsay, because this is the third loan in a row that he has struggled to make an impact on. Injury problems have hurt him, but for a £4m player that Liverpool and Scotland have (or maybe had) high hopes for he’s never looked convincing on the pitch. There’s obviously a top player in there, and at times I’ve seen glimpses, but glimpses aren’t enough for a player of his calibre.

He’s lost his place in the team to two centre backs, which speaks volumes about his time at the club so far. I can’t imagine he’s happy, nor Liverpool, so a premature ending to the loan probably makes sense for all three parties.

Steven Sessegnon – 6.5 / 10

Whenever I see Steven Sessegnon’s name on a team sheet it makes me happy, because he is undoubtedly one of our most talented and tactically aware players. As a makeshift left back he’s been brilliant, and has played on the right or in midfield at times too – both to a good standard. The problem is the best ability is availability, and he spends too much time out injured to get a really consistent run of games under his belt.

His performances have been good more often than not, but we’ve missed him too often. With his contract up in the summer these next few months need to be injury-free to make it worth keeping him around.

Will Aimson – 9 / 10

The signing of the summer by a quite considerable margin. Will Aimson’s arrival was probably the most low-key, but week on week he’s shown why we tried so hard to get him out of Exeter. A warrior-like defender with bags of experience and leadership qualities, but also a really good set of skills on the ball that perhaps go underappreciated. His partnership with Jason Kerr and Sam Tickle has made our defence one of the meanest in the division.

In a young squad you can’t overstate the importance of players like this. He celebrates clean sheets more than our strikers celebrate goals, and he gave it large in an empty Toughsheet Stadium. Top man.

Jason Kerr – 8.5 / 10

Keeping Jason Kerr around was so important, and he’s repaid our faith in him with a number of fantastic performances this season. After becoming the club captain in the summer he was tasked with leading a young group of inexperienced players, and has done so admirably. It’s apparent he commands respect, but appears to do so in a very humble way which I think mirrors the way Shaun Maloney leads the team. It’s nice when a captain represents a manager closely, and I think that’s definitely the case with those two.

His centre back partner has taken more plaudits, but Jason Kerr is a wonderful defender at this level and I’m delighted he’s back to his best. He’s got the makings of a real Latics hero I reckon.

Luke Chambers – 7 / 10

When Luke Chambers returned to Latics in the summer I was expecting there to be discussions about his future come January, but not for this reason. After a solid start to the season from League One’s best left back he picked up a freak reoccurrence of a back injury that brought his season to a halt. We’ve missed him, but a recent revelation from Shaun Maloney suggests he may be back in a couple of months. I certainly don’t get the impression we’ll lose him in January.

There are few players that I’d advocate waiting five months for at Latics, but Luke Chambers is one of them. Get him back fit and he’ll change our fortunes, just like he helped do last season.

Luke Robinson – 5.5 / 10

Luke Robinson’s Wigan Athletic career has been a weirdly up and down one, considering he only has 27 games under his belt for the club. He’s had two spells on loan at St Johnstone where he’s returned as some form of hero north of the border, but hasn’t ever really managed to translate that good form into performances for Latics. His season started with an injury, and in most of his fleeting appearances so far this season he’s struggled to reach the levels required.

The fact that Luke Chambers has missed three months with injury and his game time has still been so limited kind of says it all unfortunately. We’re probably entering the last six months of his time at the club, assuming he doesn’t leave this month.

Paul Dummett – 5 / 10

The arrival of Paul Dummett came at an interesting time for Latics, shortly after the injury to Luke Chambers and the return of Luke Robinson. We needed some short-term cover at left back, and given his experience it felt like a very logical signing at the time both on and off the pitch. Unfortunately it hasn’t really worked out in terms of his performances, and he’s not really making the bench anymore either. His best offering could probably come as a late substitute to keep things calm, but even that’s unlikely at the moment.

With his short-term contract running out I really am torn as to what to expect this month. We need someone of his influence and experience, but with more to offer on the pitch in an ideal world. If that’s not an option, I’d be happy to keep him.

K’Marni Miller – 7 / 10

I certainly wasn’t expecting K’Marni Miller to feature in this article a few months ago, but after making his professional and League One debut this season here he is! The 19-year-old joined us in the summer, initially as an uner-21s player, but made his way into the first team for our EFL Trophy game at Carlisle and played really well. He was then subbed on at half time of our 2-0 defeat to Cambridge as Shaun Maloney looked to change the game, and he was singled out for praise on a rough day.

The sample size of games hasn’t been big, but when he’s played for our first team he’s done well. Hopefully his development continues in the u21s and we see more of him next season.

Matt Smith – 6.5 / 10

I’ve enjoyed seeing Matt Smith start to add a few more attributes to his game this season, and up until the Boxing Day clash at Rotherham maintaining a good level of fitness too. To lose him is a big blow as he’s someone that really enhances others within our team. Baba Adeeko is a better player alongside him, and those pair have just started to pull away in terms of being our main midfield pairing. The fact we’ll likely be without both for a while is going to hurt.

He’s been a bit more involved higher up the pitch this season, and has made some important contributions to important goals. He’s just starting to mature as a player, and is as important as ever to how we play.

Baba Adeeko – 6.5 / 10

Baba Adeeko is getting better and better, and despite the fact he can sometimes frustrate us with a lapse in technical quality he’s really starting to have an impact on games with and without the ball. His first goal at Rotherham on Boxing Day was brilliant, both technically and tactically, and a sign of his growing attacking influence after missing two gilt-edged opportunities in the two games prior.

I maybe used to be guilty of ignoring some of the good Adeeko did in games where his ball skills let him down, but when you really watch him you start to see how much selfless work he does for the team. A bit more consistency and confidence will take him from a good player to a great one – fitness permitting.

Tyrese Francois – 7 / 10

Aside from Will Aimson I’d say Tyrese Francois was our best summer signing, and could turn out to be one of the best of the Shaun Maloney era. Let me be clear – his injury record is a massive negative and extremely unlucky for him, especially the one he picked up at Barnsley. He was in such good form then, and had made a huge impact on our team with his all-action midfield displays and top ability with and without the ball. Keep him fit and we’ll be flying.

Ultimately the best ability is availability, which is probably why Tyrese Francois is a League One player at the moment. I’m very much looking forward to him getting back fit.

Jensen Weir – 6 / 10

I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Jensen Weir yet by any means, but there’s been plenty to like and plenty to work on so far. He’s the best ball-carrying centre midfielder we have, and when he’s on it is a really good box-to-box midfielder with a set of well-rounded attributes. He needs a more consistent run of games to properly bed himself in, but when that happens he’ll be a real asset for us I’m sure.

He’s still a young man with plenty of improvement to come, and I’ve no doubt his levels will improve as his minutes increase. We need players like Jensen Weir in our squad, and I’m expecting some big performances in the second half of the season.

Scott Smith – 6 / 10

Everyone needs a Scott Smith in their squad. He’s a top bloke off the pitch, represents the Wigan Athletic fans on the pitch and wears his heart on his sleeve with everything that he does. What he lacks in technical ability on occasions is made up for by his tendency to turn 30/70s against into 100/0s in his favour, which I think is why he’s still a first teamer at the club. If he can drag his on the ball work to the level of his off the ball work he’ll be very hard to leave out of our team.

I feel like Scott Smith could very easily spend his entire career at Latics because he’s always going to have something to offer. He’s not the most sparkly toy in the box, and he’s not had a particularly good or bad season, but he’s a very important part of our squad.

Kai Payne – 6.5 / 10

I’m a massive fan of Kai Payne’s and I really think he’s going to be the next cab off the academy rank. Every time he’s featured for our first team he never looks rushed, always calm on the ball with a lovely range of passing and understanding of tempo with the ball at his feet. The youngster is more than likely our long-term number six, and if he can add a bit of steel to his game he’ll be a really good defensive midfielder.

He spent a bit of time on loan at Oldham where he really impressed, but appears to be in Maloney’s immediate plans going forward. If we sign an experienced midfielder as I think we should it should open the door for him to go out and get more minutes.

Thelo Aasgaard – 8.5 / 10

‘Where would we be without Thelo Aasgaard’ is a question that I don’t want to think about nor have to answer anytime soon. He’s our top scorer in the league, the most crucial cog in our attacking play and in pure and simple terms, our ‘best’ player. There are a lot of things that Thelo does for us that no one else would be capable of doing, and he’s just about starting to add a level of maturity to his game too. He’s a touch more consistency and reliability away from moving to a top Championship club.

The real challenge will be keeping hold of him in January, as his £3m release clause is common knowledge amongst Championship clubs. If he stays for the full season 20 goal contributions is well on the cards.

Chris Sze – 5 / 10

Not long ago it felt like Chris Sze was going to be the long-term replacement for Thelo Aasgaard, but the longer time goes on it feels like he’s further and further away from being that. He started our first game of the season, which suggested a more influential role for him, but he’s barely featured since and had a period of time away from the club in the autumn for ‘personal reasons.’ It’s all been a bit strange in truth.

I’d be looking to loan him out, fill him protein and try to toughen him up with proper, regular men’s football. After he gets that we’ll be able to make a better decision on his future.

Jonny Smith – 7.5 / 10

I think this season has shown us the importance of having consistent performers on the wing in our system, and the biggest example of that for us has been Jonny Smith. Barring Callum McManaman he’s our most experienced winger, and has been our best performer in those wide areas this season. He’s almost solely responsible for our FA Cup run, and has been unlucky not to score more goals in the league. We just need to keep him fit for the rest of the campaign.

That cut in and shoot from the right wing move is approaching the stuff of legend now, and if he can make it work five or so more times this season we’ll be laughing. Out of contract in the summer, I’d be looking at sorting that out soon too.

Dion Rankine – 6 / 10

I don’t think the word ‘raw’ has ever been more fitting to describe a Latics player than Dion Rankine. In terms of his core attributes it’s clear to see why Shaun Maloney was keen to sign him; he has the pace to terrify teams and the work rate to get up and down the wing constantly. The problem is he seems so unsure of himself and rarely runs in behind, forcing him to use his technical attributes a lot more. Unfortunately, they’re a fair way off what we need just now.

In typical ‘when it rains it pours’ fashion, he started to use his direct running ability well against Leyton Orient, before being hacked down and put out of action for several months. I hope he returns the same player we saw for 25 minutes that day.

Silko Thomas – 6.5 / 10

Silko Thomas has shown the value of patience when it comes to young players, because after a totally underwhelming first few months at Latics he has just started to show his worth in the last few weeks. A tricky winger who can cross off both feet, he’s been unlucky to only register one assist so far this season given the quality of some of his deliveries into the box – particularly against Bolton. His work rate is top class too, the only thing that’s missing is a consistently good volume of goal involvements.

Along with Dale Taylor, Silko Thomas is a loan player I am certain won’t return to his parent club in January. He’s starting to make strides in his development and is clearly liked by Shaun Maloney.

Michael Olakigbe – 5 / 10

Given how desperate Shaun Maloney was to bring Michael Olakigbe to Latics in the summer, it’s hard to argue his time at the club has been anything other than disappointing so far. It started in unfortunate fashion when he broke his leg in the first week of pre-season, before returning in October. His debut was a bright cameo, but after that we’ve not seen much at all in truth. His crossing and shooting have cost us massive goal-scoring opportunities, and after a brief run in the team he’s even struggled to make the bench recently.

Will Brentford want him playing a bit-part role here? I doubt it personally, and if there’s money available to go and try and sign a forward permanently I’d be seriously considering letting him go. A lot more was expected from him.

Callum McManaman – 6.5 / 10

Mr Wigan Athletic’s still making his mark on our season, even if his impact is less than it was last season. Callum McManaman will always lift our crowd when he gets subbed on, or when he goes clattering into an opposition player early on – that much is a guarantee. He seems to have lost a touch of pace since last year which is to be expected, but he’s still got a lot about him and plays a crucial part off the pitch, even if his influence on matches isn’t as great anymore.

That goal against Peterborough United showed what he’s all about, but we’ve not seen much aside from that. That’s fine though, and every day that goes by is another day he grows into more and more of a Latics legend.

Maleace Asamoah – 5.5 / 10

I never really expected Maleace Asamoah to make an immediate impact on our first team, and his transfer from Fleetwood Town always felt like it would be ‘one for the future.’ He’s featured sparingly so far this season, and in truth hasn’t made much of an impression yet. The youngster clearly has talent, with quick feet and plenty of attacking intent that should make him a good asset in the future once the rest of his game catches up.

A loan move could maybe be on the cards in January as he needs game time, and we could probably cope without him. If the pros outweigh the cons in Shaun Maloney’s mind I’d like to see him go elsewhere temporarily.

Dale Taylor – 7 / 10

The best of the bunch when it comes to our attackers, albeit the bar has not exactly been set high. I’m a big fan of Dale Taylor, because it’s so apparent that he’s a young lad who loves playing football and wants to succeed at the club. He works his socks off every week, is extremely selfless with his movement and possession, and has scored a couple of really big goals for us. We definitely need more from him, but he’s starting to come good.

Of all our loanees he’s probably the one that’s settled in the best, and I’d quite like him to stick around permanently – which is definitely unlikely for the record. If he can reach ten goals this season we’ll be laughing.

Joe Hugill – 5 / 10

I was really hopeful about Joe Hugill’s loan move to Latics, because stylistically he felt like the sort of striker that should thrive in our system. His height, speed and finishing ability are all attributes that made him prolific at youth level, and while his previous senior loan spells should have shown that he’s not quite up to the pro game yet I had faith. Unfortunately, he’s not shown enough consistent quality to merit the number nine shirt we gave him.

I can’t imagine any of the parties involved in this loan are happy with how it has gone so far, and I’d be seriously considering ending it early. He needs a fresh start, and we need someone more reliable.

Josh Stones – 6 / 10

It feels like Josh Stones is always only a few games away from becoming a real breakout star for Latics, but those few games never seem to come. At the start of this season the general idea was that the young striker would challenge for a first team spot, feature off the bench regularly and play in all of our cup competitions. Unfortunately it became obvious after a few games that he’s still a way off being a League One striker, and was sent back to Oldham on loan for game time.

He’s proven himself a good striker at National league level, and is set to return to us in a couple of days. Rumours suggest he could be back out though – maybe for one last time?

Manager Review

Shaun Maloney – 7.5 / 10

I feel like that rating could be considered a bit harsh by some, and a bit kind by others. I guess if that turns out to be the case it probably means it’s about right, but the main thing to say is the work Shaun Maloney has done this season is a lot more than your average football manager usually does.

Let’s focus on the football side of things first and foremost, because at the end of the day that is his main, and hopefully soon to be only, priority. We’ve played four at the back all season long, only ever changing to a back three / five when chasing a goal or looking to shut up shop late in games.

On the whole he’s persisted with the 3-2-5 build up structure, usually pushing the left back into midfield, a role Steven Sessegnon does so well, while having the right back tuck in as another centre back. I think this is why James Carragher and Toby Sibbick have played there, and why Calvin Ramsay has struggled to make a real impact. In recent weeks there has been a bit more of a traditional feel about our full backs though which has been nice to see.

I think we’re starting to see his ideas being implemented a little bit better in terms of how we build up, and there has been an improvement in our chance creation, even if our finishing has left a lot to be desired. Last season we did very well with very few chances, outperforming our xG of 47 by 16 goals. This season we’ve underperformed our xG of 26.5 (at the time of writing), scoring 20.

When you combine that with the fact that we’re allowing our opponents three less shots a game on average, and conceding 0.5 less xG a game too, it all makes for encouraging reading. There’s certainly been improvements at both ends of the pitch, and but for naivety and wastefulness on several occasions we’d be so much higher up the table.

Maloney of course has to take responsibility for that, and has been guilty of making too many changes too often, picking the wrong team for games and making subs at bad times. He’s still in the very early days of his managerial career though, and I’d like to think he’s learning from his mistakes as he goes.

With the players he has and the situations he’s had to deal with I think he’s doing as well as he possibly could. If we can help him out in January with some positive signings I’m convinced he’ll carry us up the table, because he’s been doing that without loads of backing anyway.

In terms of his work away from the training ground or the stadium, I guess we’ll never know just how involved he is, but it’s apparent that he’s had targets to hit financially. The incoming managing director will hopefully take a lot of that burden off Maloney, and as a result should make him more focused on improving us as a football team.