Ryan Lowe outlines the 'different' transfer strategy he'll be employing at Wigan Athletic

The Latics boss is desperate to bolster an attack that returned only 40 goals from their 46 league matches in 2024/25.

With leading scorer Dale Taylor having returned to parent club Nottingham Forest, the need for reinforcements could not be more stark.

Latics have already earmarked Portsmouth forward Christian Saydee as one of the signings, and they are hoping to conclude a deal in the coming days.

While clearly highly rated by Pompey's management and fans, the 23-year-old's goal return - 12 league goals in five seasons - has been pointed out by some doubters.

Lowe, though, has explained why unearthing unpolished diamonds has to be the way forward for Latics, who can no longer count on splashing the cash for a Will Grigg to ensure success at this level.

"I work a bit differently," said Lowe. "I want strikers that I know can score goals, who are not necessarily scoring goals at the moment.

"We're not going to just go out there and get a 20-goal-a-season marksman, because they cost a lot of money, millions of pounds.

"And they're probably not even out there to start with - because they won't be up for sale, and they won't be out of contract.

"I like to look a little bit deeper, in terms of the players I've worked with before."

Lowe also pointed to his previous success - at Bury, Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End - in targeting potential rather than the finished product as cause for optimism.

"You're talking about your Cameron Archers, your Tom Cannons, your Ryan Hardies, your Troy Parrotts, your Liam Delaps," he said.

"These players were just on the fringes, they weren't scoring loads of goals, when I took them.

"But they were strikers who I knew could score and, as long as I knew they knew where the goal was, and I can see that in them, I can work with that, and coach them.

"They are the kind of players we'll be looking to get because, as I say, we're not going to be able to go and get a 20-goal a season striker, because they're not there.

"We've got to look just behind that, and players who we can look to develop, and hopefully get them into a position where they're scoring 10 or even 20 goals a season."

Lowe is also looking for players who want to ‘buy into’ the long-term project at the Brick.

"I watch players closely, and I don't just watch their goals,” he added. "It's their movement, I watch how they get there, can they get there, are they fit enough to get there, it's attitude, it's application.

"I want to know if they know about Wigan Athletic, about me as a manager...because it's all about the project and finding a way of where we want to get to.

"The players I've worked with beforehand, especially the strikers, they've all bought into the project...what they are going to do for the club and for me as a manager.

"I'm a big believer that when all that comes together, it goes a long way towards being successful."