Wigan Athletic is a 'massive club' admits new-boy

The 29-year-old midfielder joined Latics on Thursday night from Aberdeen on loan for the rest of the campaign.

Ojo goes straight into the squad for this weekend’s trip to fellow strugglers Northampton, which could see Latics moving out of the relegation zone for the first time in months with an away win.

And the player who represented Belgium at every level from Under-15 to Under-21 says he’s champing at the bit to show what he can do.

“I’m looking forward to getting some minutes in, that’s my biggest motivation,” said the Antwerp-born ace.

“I loved my time at Aberdeen, it’s a great city and a nice club to be at.

“But I wasn’t getting the minutes that I wanted.

“After speaking to the club here and the gaffer, he said there would be some minutes for me, and that’s why I’m looking forward to being here.

“I still have goals to achieve in my career, and I might be going from Aberdeen on loan, but I’m still going to a massive club in Wigan.

“I’m from Antwerp and played for them and they were struggling in the Second Division for 10 years.

“But it was still a club with a big fanbase and, with the history, it’s still a big club, which you can’t take away from there – and it’s the same here.”

Ojo will bring much needed experience and physical presence to an engine room that’s been picking itself with Lee Evans sidelined since early December.

And he’s looking forward to working with youngsters Alex Perry and Chris Merrie, to hopefully pass on some of the things he’s picked up during his career.

“I see myself as a player that wants the ball and to link up the play between the back four and the front players,” acknowledged Ojo.

“I think I’m a player that makes those around me better, and I see myself as a good player to have in the team.

“For me to perform well, I need others to perform well, but I do try to make others on the pitch play well, to feed them the ball and give them the confidence.

“I feel like this is a young squad, and I always like to work with young talented people – I think I can help them out.

“I’ve been following the progress of the team ever since I started talking to them in the current transfer window, and it’s a club that shouldn’t be in this position.

“But it’s good for these young guys to get the minutes in and some playing time and build on their careers.

“Hopefully, we can build together, stay up and get the team some points, but enjoy it at the same time.”

Ojo may be familiar to some Latics fans, after being involved in a controversial incident during his Scunthorpe days in 2017, which saw Welsh international Evans red-carded for delivering a head-butt following a nasty challenge.

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