Caldwell welcomes Taylor arrival

Ryan Taylor is on his way back to Wigan Athletic '“ and hoping to prove himself worthy of a new playing contract at the DW.
Ryan TaylorRyan Taylor
Ryan Taylor

The 31-year-old, who spent three-and-a-half seasons with Latics in the Premier League, is a free agent after leaving Hull City, with whom he won promotion from the Championship last term.

And with recent loan signing Kyle Knoyle suffering a badly-broken elbow on last week’s tour of Portugal, Gary Caldwell has moved quickly to potentially fill the void at right-back.

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“I spoke to Ryan on Sunday, and fortunately he’s going to be in with us this week and we’ll see how he is,” Caldwell told the Observer.

“Ryan’s somebody I’ve known about for some time and, with Kyle getting the injury in Portugal, it’s something we wanted to do.”

Taylor has suffered badly with injuries since leaving Latics at the beginning of 2009, in the deal that brought Charles N’Zogbia from Newcastle.

But Caldwell is hopeful those problems are now behind him, with there being no question at all about his ability.

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“Quality-wise, he is without doubt a top-quality Championship player,” the Latics chief acknowledged. “He’s obviously had rotten luck with injuries in recent years, but it’s good for us to get the chance to have a look at him.

“He was really keen to come here as well, which I think is important when you’re looking to bring in a player.

“He’s obviously got fond memories of the club, otherwise he wouldn’t be so desperate to come back.”