Despite beginning the season on minus eight following a points deduction, Wigan Athletic successfully defied the odds, and not only achieved League One survival but secured a top-half finish.
Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Bristol Rovers, courtesy of a Josh Magennis tap-in and a long-range effort from former Bensured that the Latics finished 12th in the League One table.
Manager Shaun Maloney has had to put his faith in the club’s academy graduates, loan signings, free agent signings, and players that were with the club before his arrival at the DW Stadium in January 2023 because of the club’s transfer embargo.
Former Rangers winger Jordan Jones, who joined the Latics from the Glasgow giants in 2021, is one player the former Hibernian manager has made the most of this season.
Jones struggled for playing time under previous Wigan manager Leam Richardson, and he was loaned to St Mirren and Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership for the second half of the 2022–2023 season and the whole 2022–2023 season, respectively.
Prior to the 2023–24 season, Jones made his eagerly anticipated return to the DW Stadium. Maloney has shown great faith in the 29-year-old, using him as a winger as well as a wing-back.
The former Middlesbrough player has had a great season, making 26 League One games and 20 starts, scoring three goals and dishing out six assists despite not playing since March 16.
Jones is out of contract and has been linked with a move away
After a 2023–24 season that was by far his greatest at the club to date, Latics fans will be hopeful that the ace stays in Greater Manchester when his contract at the DW Stadium expires this summer.
Jones hasn’t ruled out extending his contract, though, and Maloney will undoubtedly want to retain his player for the 2024–2025 campaign after getting the most out of him.
He has shown his worth in games against some of the best teams in League One; in February, he scored a goal against Oxford and assisted his team in a 3-2 victory against Peterborough.
However, Jones’ future is now unknown as a result of these performances; in January, HITC disclosed that the 29-year-old is attracting interest from Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, and Rotherham United, all of which are Championship teams.
Given that Huddersfield is expected to follow Rotherham in the third division and that the latter has already been demoted to League One, Wednesday is undoubtedly the team with the best qualifications to recruit Jones because their championship survival is at stake.
