Wigan Athletic hero poised to return for THIRD spell

The 32-year-old midfielder is in line to become the first signing of the summer for Gary Caldwell, who first brought him to Wigan back in the summer of 2015 from Tranmere Rovers.

Power helped Latics to win the League One title on two occasions – under Caldwell in 2015/16 and Paul Cook in 2017/18.

He left for Sunderland in the summer of 2018, but was brought back to Wigan by Leam Richardson three years later.

Power won his third League One title with Latics in his first season, but left in the summer of 2023 following well-documented financial issues under then-owners Phoenix 2021 Ltd which saw the players being repeatedly paid late.

After spells in Saudi Arabia and Denmark, Power joined Bradford City last summer, whom he captained to the play-offs this season.

He has been earmarked as the ideal man to lead the rebuild under Caldwell and David Perkins, his former partner in crime in the centre of the Latics midfield.

Power was back at Wigan as recently as March, when his Bradford side were beaten 2-0 by a Latics side that had picked up under their new managerial team.

After the game, Power told Wigan Today he hadn’t been surprised at the upturn in fortunes.

"I've worked under Gary Caldwell, and he's a very, very good coach,” he said. "He's obsessed with football, and he watches football non-stop.

"I had a very enjoyable period playing here under him, he made me see the game in different ways.

"Wigan is a club that, as a fanbase and as a club, has always related well to someone who's been here before and had success. Certainly in my time here, that's always tended to be the case.

"He's an FA Cup winner, a captain from the Premier League years and he won promotion during his first season as a manager. That means he understands the club inside and out.

"But even taking that aside, he's a very, very good coach...one of the best coaches I've ever worked under.

"He's someone I've always stayed in touch with, and he's someone I've always been able to lean on when I've need to.

"When I've faced his teams, they've always been difficult games, because he's always got a plan. And you can see within days of arriving he'd already breathed fresh life into the club.

"With the help of another old friend of mine, David Perkins, my old partner in midfield...two people who live and breathe football, who live and breathe this club and the fanbase.

"I know what a Wigan crowd is like...they want to get behind the team, and I think they got behind Gary and Perks right from the off.

"I know how energetic Perks is day to day, I shared hotel rooms with him throughout my time here, and being around him can only give you a lift."

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Sam Tickle has also been linked with a move to the Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers in the Sunday gossip columns.

Wigan Today understands there has been no approach from Rangers in the 22-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract.

Latics are under no pressure to sell Tickle and, unlike former team-mates Charlie Hughes and Thelo Aasgaard, he does not have a buy-out clause in his contract.