Caldwell hopes to bring in '˜a few' signings this week

It’s only five days until Latics make their eagerly-awaited return to the second tier with a trip to Bristol City.

And as well as preparing his men for a big challenge at Ashton Gate, Caldwell is also working hard behind the scenes to bolster his squad.

The Latics chief has already landed seven players – Stephen Warnock, Alex Gilbey, Dan Burn, Kyle Knoyle, Nick Powell, Adam Bogdan and Jake Buxton – this summer. But he feels the squad is nowhere near ready to be able to compete over the coming nine months of action.

“I think you can see we still need certain players to come into certain positions,” Caldwell told the Evening Post.

“Hopefully before next Saturday we can add not just one but a few new faces to the group.”

Veteran midfielder Leon Osman – a free agent after leaving Everton – was again strongly linked with Latics over the weekend, and the Billinge-born midfielder would represent another solid addition on a free transfer.

There could also be some further outs before the transfer deadline, with Leeds reportedly eyeing up a move for Emyr Huws, who spent last term on loan at Huddersfield.

The rumour mill has also linked Sam Morsy, who only joined Latics from Chesterfield at the beginning of the year, with a number of League One clubs.

However, the 24-year-old has played a central role in Wigan’s pre-season campaign, and Caldwell says he’s not actively looking to offload him.

“Sam is somebody who is a big part of the squad,” the Scot revealed.

“He started at Fleetwood on Friday, and he started at Oldham on Tuesday.

“We value him very highly, and if anyone wants to come and get any of our players then they’ll have to pay a lot of money to get them.”