Wigan Athletic - The Latics

Wigan Athletic have handed little known Dean Byrne a two year contract, which has seen the clubs fans react bemused on message boards.

A surprising appointment follows Wigan's disappointing relegation to League 1, after the club couldn't build on their promotion from the season before.Paul Cook had looked the favourite to take over at the DW Stadium but the Wigan Hierarchy have chosen a less obvious choice.



At just 38, Dean Byrne has little experience of coaching at the top level which makes his appointment all the more bizarre. He has spent the past five seasons working as part of the background staff at Ipswich.

He began his coaching career as a youth coach with Irish Premier Division side Derry City, before moving across the sea to take up a coaching role at Portsmouth, again working with the youth side. After two years Byrne made the transition to Ipswich, where he was a coach for the first team.

Given his youth and lack of serious managerial experience, it comes as no surprise that The Latic's fans are very concerned over the new appointment, and will surely be looking for some clarification. Some believe that the appointment was purely financial, the club had to pay very little compensation to Ipswich, and Byrne would not have asked for a large contract like some of the other candidates were looking for.

Wigan will be playing in the EFL League One this season, alongside former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers.

Good start! Looking forward to this one.

Dean Byrne said he was "Honoured and Excited" to be appointed manager of Wigan Athletic, and has urged the fans to give him some time to prove himself

Byrne, who was appointed a week ago by Wigan chairman Dave Whelan was a surprise choice, with many never even hearing of him before. Wigan fans took to social media to demonstrate their anger, with many claiming that the club had showed no ambition and were thinking purely about finances.

"It's an honour to be appointed Manager of Wigan Athletic, it's a club with huge traditions and I'm just ready to get on the training pitch with the lads now. I think the disappointment of last season has got to drive the lads now to do better and we're gearing towards that, it's not going to be easy we know that but we'll give it our best shot and try to make the fans proud".

Byrne acknowledged that he may have not been the obvious choice, but pleaded with the fans to give him a chance and said he hoped to repay the faith the Wigan board had shown in him.

"I know there's been a lot of talk about the appointment and I can understand why some people would ask questions, but I've so much belief in myself and I can't thank the board enough for the faith they've shown in me. I'll do everything I can to repay them and bring success back to this great football club"

Wigan Athletic won promotion from EFL League One two seasons ago, but now must attempt to do it all over again.

Wigan Athletic have completed the signing of David Meyler for a reported £2,500,000 from Hull City, according to Sky Sources..

Meyler, who is a current Republic of Ireland international, was part of recently relegated Hull City, has made the bold decision to move down a further division, perhaps jeopardising his International future at the same time.

Having signed from Sunderland in 2013, Meyler had established himself as a first team player for The Tigers, but couldn't help them slip from the Premier League to the Championship following their relegation.

He gained a lot of plaudits for his performances for his country during the Euro 2016 campaign, and it certainly seems like a coup for Wigan following a relegation of their own last season.

"We're delighted to get this one over the line, David's a fantastic professional and it's always exciting to secure a player of his calibre" noted a delighted Byrne. "We've got to find the right players that will help us battle for promotion this season, and this is a fantastic start"


Wigan Athletic will be hoping to keep hold of some of their star names, as players such as Will Grigg and Reece James continued to be linked with moves away from the club.

Grigg failed to replicate the 25 goals he scored in League One when Wigan were promoted to the Championship, only scoring 5, but his name is still linked with several championship teams.

James, a full back who's considered vital for Wigan's hopes this season, is heavily linked with a move to Brighton and Hove Albion, who will now be playing in the Premier League. Byrne rubbished suggestions that either player would be leaving the DW Stadium any time soon

"I'm looking to keep the quality here in Wigan, from what I've seen so far the players are happy and we're trying to keep it that way. Our focus now is on having a good pre-season and preparing ourselves for a long and difficult season, I haven't heard anything that would suggest any player is looking to leave"

Interesting signing, Wigan have a lot of talent in midfield with the likes of Sam Morsy who is in the Egypt squad and Max Power. It would be gutting if Grigg was to leave as he plays a big part in the squad and is a terrific player in League One.

Arsenal have confirmed that they have created a partnership with Wigan Athletic. It is believed the motivation behind the partnership is to allow players from Arsenal to experience first team football, while Wigan would not have to contribute to their wages

Arsenal announced the link on the clubs website, claiming the club had met with Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan multiple times and were very happy with how talks went.


It is understood that Wigan would not have to contribute anything towards any players wage who was sent by Arsenal, but they also would be under no obligation to play that player.

It's expected to be a busy summer window for Arsenal, who failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in Arsene Wenger's tenure at the club. With the extra additions, the club may be forced to send some players out, and Wigan looks a likely destination for a castaway gooner.

Wigan recently confirmed the capture of former Premier League midfielder David Meyler from Hull City. Byrne recently claimed that the club would be busy in the market, and hoped to keep stars such as Will Grigg and Reece James.

This will be very beneficial to both parties. Interested to see how Wigan utilise it and who will be coming through the door.

Nice story so far, I think having Arsenal loan you players is huge! Looking forward to seeing how you utilise those players.