- Wigan’s reliance on youth talent paid off in a decent League One campaign, but experienced player signings are crucial for a play-off push.
- Darron Gibson’s unsuccessful stint with the Latics serves as a cautionary tale about the impact of experienced signings.
- Manager Shaun Maloney must be selective in bringing in experienced players this summer, learning from past recruitment mistakes.
After a season marred by a transfer embargo, Wigan Athletic placed 12th in League One, largely thanks to the club’s youth academy graduates under manager Shaun Maloney.
Talented academy products like Charlie Hughes and Sam Tickle, who have both recently represented England at the youth level, helped the Latics have a respectable season.
The club now has a young core group of players after the departures of experienced players Ben Amos, Tom Pearce, Josh Magennis, Charlie Wyke, and Stephen Humphrys, who was the top scorer in League One for the 2023–24 season, were confirmed by the side’s recent retained list.
Maloney must thus bring inexperienced players to Brick Community Stadium this summer if the Latics are to make a run at the playoffs in 2024–2025.
But the former Hibernian manager needs to be careful not to make the same mistake the Greater Manchester team did during the summer transfer window in 2018.
Darron Gibson signing was an error
After winning the 2017–18 League One title and being promoted to the Championship, the Latics signed Darron Gibson as a free agent in the summer of 2018.
Then, as they attempted to stave off relegation to the third division, manager Paul Cook would have hoped that Gibson would provide his team with some much-needed experience.
The Latics accomplished this goal, placing 18th in the Championship table during the 2018–19 season—a season that saw Reece James excel while on loan from Chelsea.
Gibson, formerly of Manchester United and Everton, did not, however, shine while wearing the Wigan uniform, making just 18 Championship appearances and 11 starts for Cook’s team.
The midfielder, according to FotMob, only played 1,020 minutes for the Latics. Despite not contributing to any goals, fans will recall the red card he received in October 2018 during a 4-0 thumping by North West rivals Preston North End.
The Greater Manchester team was behind 2-0 early in the second half, but Preston’s late goals from Paul Gallagher and Callum Robinson—who scored a brace that afternoon—opened the floodgates for Preston, who won by four goals.
After an unsuccessful 2018–19 season, Gibson signed a short-term contract with the Latics, who decided not to renew it. In February 2020, the former Evertonian joined League Two team Salford City.
Latics and Maloney must avoid Gibson repeat
Given the low average age of his current playing group, Maloney should look to add experience this summer, but Gibson’s brief stint with the Latics serves as a caution that experience does not always translate into success.
The former assistant coach of Belgium may be tempted to add a few experienced players as soon as possible, but such additions need to be well-considered.
Latics supporters shouldn’t worry, though, about the team’s possible summer transfer business, as Maloney recently stated that he is very particular about the kind of player he wants to bring to Brick Community Stadium.
While supporters will hope that these plans include experienced players, Gibson is proof that big-named, experienced players aren’t always the best choice.
