Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - ‘I don’t want to count how many consecutive transfer windows we’ve waited for this’

Matt Auffrey:

After months of conversations and questions surrounding the state of our squad for next season, we finally received some clarity when the retained list was released last Wednesday. Some tough goodbyes ensued from club stalwarts like Jason Kerr and Academy graduates like Luke Robinson.

However, the greatest takeaway confirmed information we largely already knew: it will be a very busy summer at the Brick. Of the 12 players under contract for next season (excluding those transfer-listed), only half featured regularly in the first-team squad.

The rest of the group spent the majority of last season on loan at other clubs. Those half-dozen first team players include one goalkeeper (Sam Tickle), two centre-backs (James Carrager and Morgan Fox), one wing-back (Fraser Murray), and two strikers (Dara Costelloe and Christian Saydee).

There will be many holes to fill over the coming months, and hopefully a sizable number of those spots go to returning players on new contracts. Jensen Weir and Matt Smith both played some of their best football in a Latics shirt shortly after Gary Caldwell took over, and could bring stability to the midfield should they return next season.

Academy graduates Harrison Bettoni and Llyton Chapman both showed flashes of players with very high ceilings during their stints in the first team over this past campaign. Their development could take an exponential leap if the club invests in their futures this summer and gives them consistent playing opportunities going forward.

Of the 21 players who are either under contract for next season or negotiating new contracts with the club, 11 are 22 years old or younger. If such a young core is supplemented with the right group of experienced pros, there could be great reason for excitement ahead of next August.

While there are no current reasons to believe that our spending power will exceed that of a middle-of-the-pack League One squad, the prospect of ex-players like Joe Gelhardt or Antonee Robinson changing clubs this summer would provide a significant seven-figure boost to our finances through their sell-on fees.

I don’t want to count how many consecutive transfer windows we’ve waited for such a move to transpire, only to be left disappointed, but maybe the World Cup will spark some magic that works in our favour. Regardless of what plays out, Gary Caldwell and company will surely have a plan in place to attack the transfer window with gusto.

We’re four weeks out from the first kick of the World Cup, and hopefully by then, the squad will be solidified to a considerable degree. Until then, all we can do is kick back, relax, and wait!

Soccerates:

The release of the retained list is often a sombre moment, marking the end of the road for players who have worn the Tics shirt with pride. However, looking at the names departing this summer, a clear and clinical pattern emerges.

Gary Caldwell and the recruitment team have sent a silent but powerful message: In the 46-game marathon of League One, reputation is secondary to reliability. We’ve said goodbye to some immense talents.

Players like Jason Kerr and Steven Sessegnon have shown, in flashes, that they are arguably above this level. But 'in flashes' doesn't win promotions. Between a handful of the released players, hundreds of matches have been missed over the last two campaigns. In a division defined by the Saturday-Tuesday grind, we can no longer afford to carry 'what-ifs'.

The goal for this summer is clear: a lean, mean, 25-man squad where every individual is available for 85-90 per cent of the season. In Caldwell’s preferred 3-4-1-2, this means having two viable, durable options for every blade of grass.

We are already seeing the internal pieces slide into place. Moving Fraser Murray into the '1' (the attacking midfield pocket) allows his vision to dictate play centrally. Shifting Morgan Fox to his more natural left wing-back role provides a seasoned, durable presence, allowing young K’Marni Miller to be the 'flying' change of pace when games need stretching.

Meanwhile, James Carragher has the path cleared to make the right centre-back slot his own. But how do we add quality without 'breaking the bank'? The answer lies in the ESC (Elite Significant Contribution) slot opened up by Raphael Borges Rodrigues’ departure.

The club needs to look toward the 'Iron Men' of the North. We’ve discussed the profile of players like Ilmari Niskanen - a man who statistically played every single minute of the last league season. That is the gold standard.

Furthermore, the Scandinavian market offers a unique opportunity to find the 'next Ole Gunnar Solskjaer'. By utilizing our ESC slot on a clinical, technical poacher from the Swedish or Norwegian leagues, we can find high-ceiling talent before they hit the mainstream European radar.

These markets offer players who are physically ready for the English game but come at a fraction of the cost of a proven Championship striker. If the club can secure a permanent deal for someone like Callum Wright - the heartbeat of our creativity last season - it sends a signal that we are building a foundation of excellence.

Pairing that domestic quality with a 'maverick' talent like Adam Moseley from the Under-21s and a durable Scandinavian powerhouse in defence would give us a squad built on logic, not luck. We don't need a revolution - we need a refinement. By prioritising durability and scouting smarter in untapped markets, we can build a squad that doesn't just look good on paper in August, but is still standing tall in May.

Up the Tics.

Martin Lally:

As previously thought, we already miss the brilliance of watching lower league football. VAR continues to confuse and contradict the highest levels of the national game with decisions that, although on paper correct, remain inconsistent. And consistency is key. Perhaps Arsenal won’t be ‘second again ole ole’ after all!

We look towards the summer and a consistency to our league form which will be brutally required next season, as we will once again run the League One gauntlet with some extremely big hitters joining the fold more through relegation than promotion. The recently released retained list still managed to catch us off guard. There has to be change at our club next season, but the worry still remains as to where will that change originate?

There is still no clear direction on this. Mid-May is here and you would expect that those offered new contracts are now literally ‘on the beach’ and enjoying some well deserved rest. Who arrives back in blue and white is yet to be determined, which is somewhat worrying with two months of preparation ahead. It already feels we will heavily rely again on the ‘out of contract’ lists and need to navigate the loan markets in order to pull together Gary Caldwell's squad for the autumn and beyond.

Let’s explore some key areas, as there is as much work to do as that required in Westminster, with the PM clinging on to his role with more front than Blackpool and Ryan Lowe combined. The loss of Jason Kerr and Will Aimson will need addressing. We were always better with Kerr in the team. And in a system where he fully understands his role, Aimson is good at this level and proved that in the last 10 games.

If Matt Smith and Jenson Weir decide not to return then the midfield will look barren, and if you add onto that the missing signature of a now out-of-contract Callum Wright, the entirety of what was good about last year will need rebuilding.

Ryan Trevitt and Tyrese Francois are also departing, but I honestly feel for Baba Adeeko, who has the unrivalled ability to divide the fanbase. You either love him or you don’t, but I was very much in the love camp and at times (like Bolton away) looked absolutely mustard! Thanks Baba and all the best, we forget too easy those that are our own.

Of course, it’s highly unlikely Joe Taylor will ever don the blue and white again, so addressing that enormous missing piece of the puzzle is probably the most urgent task...I hope Gary and Perks haven’t booked a long break!

Someone once said you win nothing with kids, while another said if they are good enough they are old enough. There is certainly an abundance of youth talent in the ranks at Wigan, and you must hope those that have been out on loan have gathered the requisite experience to return to the slog of the League One campaign next year...I suspect we will see a lot of them.

Without that craved-for investment that every club wishes they could fall into the arms of two famous Hollywood actors (who in return really care for that club and community - like them or not - fair play!). But we hear from the Fan Advisory Board meeting that investment is no closer.

Crusty’s Club is back on the table, though, and we sit waiting and hoping for news of the future, positive news of a Wigan Athletic for our children and grandchildren, a club in the community for the community. No more, no less.

Perhaps this old crusty fan needs to take a holiday and reset some fresh optimism, only to realise I have a World Cup on the horizon to disappoint, and my other love, the New York Mets - who I will see live in person this July - continue to stink out the world of baseball. But I will get chance to catch up with another brilliant 12th man contributor in Brooklyn, and we can plot/moan about the 26/27 campaign ahead!

I have said from the start of Caldwell/Perkins Part II that they have my trust, and I do believe by August we will have a decent squad that will be competitive next season. Although the summer is upon us and the forecast looks somewhat bleak, there may just be that glimmer in the future...somewhere...maybe…

My word, it’s the hope that really kills you. Wishing all Tics a fantastic summer break! Up the 26/27 Tics!

Sean Livesey:

It’s been a strange old 12 months hasn’t it? Latics realised the error of their ways with Ryan Lowe and ushered in a return for club legend Gary Caldwell, who guided his team to a respectable mid-table finish and relegation safety with three matches to spare.

Though as Caldwell has pointed out on numerous occasions, this simply isn’t enough for a club like Wigan Athletic. Let’s forget notions of a Championship return (let alone Premier League) as for the time being, simply being more competitive than last season will be a start.

So, let’s assess what’s required and what we are likely to get. The retained list had several surprises, pointing to a far bigger rebuild than perhaps first envisaged. With club captain Jason Kerr and dependable Will Aimson departing, the centre of defence will require a rebuild. Or maybe a defence built around James Carragher and Llyton Chapman with a couple of more senior reinforcements.

Other defensive departures include Steven Sessegnon and Luke Robinson. It’s not worked for Sessegnon since Shaun Maloney’s departure for one reason or another, and it’s always disappointing to see one of our own like Robinson depart. His injuries, similarly to Sessegnon, won’t have done him any favours over the last couple of years, and it’s always difficult to break into the manager's thoughts when you’re not regularly on the pitch.

Tyrese Francois was another player with multiple injuries. On his day, clearly a very good midfielder for our level, but the reason he was playing for Wigan in the first place was probably down to his injury record, as if he could stay fit he would arguably be further up the pyramid. It was no surprise that Toby Savin departed after Tom Watson spent two seasons as deputy before Ryan Lowe sent him out on loan.

Several first-team players are available for transfer. Baba Adeeko, who’s missed virtually the whole season, will be a surprise...another who was instrumental in the first season under Shaun Maloney, but has been cursed with injuries since, limiting his time on the pitch.

Joe Hungbo, who always gives 100 per cent, was a surprise. However, this is a similar situation to when Lowe took over last season: if you don’t fit the system, you’re always in danger of leaving. Jonny Smith and Ronan Darcy are less of a surprise, though I wondered if the latter would have been given a chance to impress in the off-season.

Interestingly, Jon Mellish was not listed for transfer. He had a stand-out season in League Two for Milton Keynes, scoring three goals and achieving promotion to League One. He was the most surprising departure last summer because of his versatility, so there could well be a route back to a career here.

Matt Smith and Jensen Weir formed a formidable partnership in midfield over the last couple of months, and one has to hope both will continue their story with us. To lose one would be disappointing, to lose both would be a travesty, though I suspect the Londoner may be considering a move back down south.

Harrison Bettoni is a no-brainer in terms of contract offers, but its easier said than done trying to secure him with reported interest from higher up the league. Elsewhere, eyes were raised with new contract offers for Academy graduates Chris Sze and Callum McManaman.

Sze has featured under numerous managers now, he’s scored four goals here and nine on loan at Southport last season. He’s clearly got something about him but, like many in this list, the key will be keeping him on the pitch. If Sze is past his personal issues off the field, he could well have a part to play next season.

Callum’s second Wigan career is nearly as long as his first stint in the senior side, in that previous lifetime where we competed in the Premier League and won the FA Cup. His first two seasons back with us saw him play a key role in the side, none more so than 2023/24, where he was quite rightly one of the first names on the team sheet.

His influence has diminished over the last 12 months, but I still think he has a part to play, even if he’s not playing every week. There’s a long slog of EFL Trophy and EFL Cup matches, alongside the league. It isn’t a stretch to still see him appearing for us in the next season as he transitions to a coaching role (if that’s what he wants).

The loans that have returned all had their part to play, but you would hope we would be able to secure Callum Wright now he’s been released from Plymouth. Any hopes of Rafael Borges Rodrigues staying have probably disappeared with the news that he’s been named in the provisional Australia squad for the World Cup.

There’s also that huge Joe Taylor-shaped hole up front to solve before next season. It’s fair to say Christian Saydee and Dara Costelloe had disappointing seasons, so a priority for next season is getting them firing on all cylinders.

It’s going to be interesting, and it won’t be without drama. Let’s hope what the summer brings is far more positive than last year.