Will Goodwin – Welcome to Wigan Athletic

Well, you can say what you like about Latics, our board and our recruitment team, but one thing is undeniable; they have begun this January window at hyper-speed! Less than a week into the new year and there have been two players leave the club, as well as three new arrivals – the third of which is Will Goodwin, on loan from Oxford United for the rest of the season.

The 22-year-old striker has bolstered our ranks at the top end of the pitch, which everyone agrees is a crucial position to get right. Concerns have been raised around his inexperience and recent lack of game time, but I genuinely believe there is a lot of upside to this signing in the short term.

He’s a different kind of number nine to what we’ve got already, a crucial point that I believe is being missed by all the nay-sayers. At 6’2″ he’s got the ability to play as a target man, pinning defenders and holding the ball up well before bringing others into play. This also allows Goodwin to get on the end of crosses better, which will be a big help to us.

The fact it’s seemingly a loan move without any potential to turn it permanent is a drawback on this deal for sure. While it makes sense due to his patchy injury record – another negative in fairness – it does feel like another case of putting a plaster on a broken leg. That said, I appreciate it’s unlikely we’re going to get the right player in in January, which is why I’m happy with this signing.

In this, and every ‘Welcome to Wigan Athletic’ article that I post this season, I’ll be taking a closer look at all aspects of the new signing’s game. Their profile, where they’ve played before and how they’ve performed, their suitability to our club and our style of play, and a report on their best attributes as well of areas of their game that could hold them back. As best I can I’m going to try and provide you, the valued reader, with the best possible idea of what to expect from our recruits.

And as there’s no time like the present, here we go. Will Goodwin, you’re up to bat. Let’s see what you’ve got!

PROFILE

STRENGTHS

Will Goodwin is predominantly a back-to-goal striker, but with good abilities inside the penalty area too. Physically, when he’s at full fitness that is, he’s a really impressive striker, with plenty of strength and power that allows him to get the better of his marker. Despite being a similar height to Joe Hugill, Goodwin is considerably more thick-set and physically capable.

Goodwin is an expert at using his body to get between the ball and his marker to win fouls. He ranked in the top 13% for fouls won in League One last season, with Cheltenham Town using him as their main attacking outlet, and Oxford United using him as an impact substitute who would come on and help them see out games on their way to promotion. That’s a hell of a responsibility for a young man.

And ultimately I think this will end up being the role that Goodwin plays for us more often than not, unless he hits great form or Dale Taylor loses fitness. To have this profile of striker in our ranks is crucial. While the losses of Charlie Wyke and Josh Magennis have been felt due to their departing experience, what actually hurt us the most was the lack of a different type of striker.

In front of goal he’s an accurate finisher, hitting the target with more than half of his efforts last season which put him in the top 15% of strikers in League One. Not only does he hit the target regularly, he also does a good job of hitting the corners of the net, or at the very least areas of the goal that make it more difficult for the goalkeeper to save.

Per 90 minutes last season, on average, his efforts averaged 0.5 xGOT, the metric that measures how likely a shot on target is to go in based on the area of the goal it hits. Not only does this show a good level of finishing ability, but also good composure and decision making in front of goal. Goodwin appears to get himself in the right place at the right time, which we need desperately.

He’s a hard worker off the ball too which is important, and presses well from the front. Last season he was in the top 7% of strikers for winning the ball back in the final third, doing so more than once on average per 90. I think it’s crucial that this area of game is at a high level because it’s probably Joe Hugill’s biggest positive attribute for us. The fact Goodwin arguably acts as an upgrade in that department and several others does beg the question as to whether the Man United youngster’s future lies here or elsewhere.

LIMITATIONS

The fitness concerns that come with Will Goodwin are by far his biggest limitation, because so far in his career they have prevented him from having a proper run of games. He’s had a number of thigh injuries which are a real development stunter physically, as well as some ankle ligament issues too. Last season he was available for about half of the matches he could have been, with that number not exactly shooting up this term either.

This is a huge shame because genuinely, for what we need from him, the data, the reviews and the clips I’ve seen all point towards him being a really talented striker at this level. There is of course work still to be done across the board, but the harsh reality is until he’s fit for a number of months consecutively he’ll find it hard to properly grow.

While he’s good at receiving the ball on his chest or to his feet there are a few concerns about how he distributes it on occasions. He can be a touch sloppy with his lay-offs especially, but does seem to do that higher up the pitch where the punishment won’t be as severe. This may well be down to his lack of sharpness in a lot of games though.

Initially that’s my biggest worry with him – how long will it take to get him up to speed. He’s been on the Oxford bench a lot recently without really featuring, and I just wonder if we’ll have to build him up to almost beyond 100% so as not to risk him breaking down again. Luck obviously plays it’s part, but Will Goodwin will only be as good for Latics as his body allows.

POTENTIAL FIT

It’s very, very simple as far as where Will Goodwin will play for Latics. He’ll be our focal point at the top end of the pitch, in that number nine position and nowhere else! I really like him in our current 4-1-4-1 system, bringing the four midfielders into play with his hold-up play, getting on the end of the chances we’re starting to create, and more importantly, allowing us to create even more chances.

He’ll lead the line with more presence which should allow space for the likes of Aasgaard, Weir and maybe even Dale Taylor to work off him from those advanced midfield spots. Equally, when it comes to crosses into the box he should be able to occupy defenders which could leave our other attackers unmarked – or at least less marked – in front of goal.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Firstly, I think the negative response this got was pretty sad to see. Directing frustration at the club is more than fair enough as a fan, but seeing some people seemingly write Will Goodwin and the reasons he’s joined us off before he’s even kicked a ball for us is bonkers, and more importantly wrong. A bit of research will show you that he’s a really talented player who gives us something completely different up top.

Of course, there are some concerns that are fair enough. Injury wise he’s struggled and if those problems come up again it’ll obviously be an underwhelming loan spell. Equally, if he does really well but then returns to Oxford and we never see him again due to the terms of the loan that’ll be a real shame too. That’s not his fault though, lets not forget that!

All in all I’m pleased. We’ve got a new striker who has experience at League One level, has a good scoring record in the league compared to his minutes played and gives us a crucial new profile that we’ve seriously lacked. With a bit of luck and some hard work from the club and the player this could prove to be a really smart signing for us.

Welcome to Wigan Athletic, Will Goodwin. Up the Tics!