Wigan Athletic should look to familiar face if Sam Tickle joins Arsenal or Man Utd | OneFootball

Carlisle United's Gabriel Breeze could be an ideal Sam Tickle replacement, if the Wigan Athletic goalkeeper joins Manchester United or Arsenal

Wigan Athletic sit 16th in the League One table following Saturday afternoon's 2-0 victory over Bristol Rovers, but sit 12 points clear of the relegation zone, and just nine points adrift of the play-off spots.

However, a top-six push currently seems beyond the capabilities of a Latics side who are struggling for consistency, and suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Burton Albion, who still reside in the drop zone, last Tuesday.

But while the Latics look destined to endure a somewhat underwhelming campaign, goalkeeper Sam Tickle continues to prove himself as one of League One's best shot-stoppers, and one of England's most promising young talents, who regularly receives call-ups to the nation's under-21 side.

Tickle showed just how good he can be once again on Saturday, when he produced a stunning double save from point-blank to deny Rovers' Gatlin O'Donkor and maintain a clean sheet.

Latics should look to familiar Carlisle United goalkeeper if Tickle joins Arsenal or Manchester United

Tickle has long since produced moments of brilliance for Shaun Maloney's side, and has kept 11 clean sheets in 26 League One outings this term.

In fact, only Stevenage's Murphy Cooper, and Leyton Orient's Josh Keeley, who are on loan from Championship Queens Park Rangers and Premier League Tottenham Hotspur respectively, have kept more clean sheets than Tickle in the third tier so far this term.

But the Latics man's impressive exploits between the sticks have not gone unnoticed, as top-flight duo Arsenal and Manchester United have both been eyeing up moves for his services, according to a TeamTalk report made back in October.

Meanwhile, as per The Sun, Tickle even rejected an opportunity to join the Gunners last summer, following Aaron Ramsdale's exit, amid concerns over his game time.

However, as the 22-year-old continues to excel with the Latics, there is a clear possibility that either the Gunners or Man United could swoop to acquire his services as the January transfer window reaches its closing stages.

Should that eventuality occur, it would be a major blow for Maloney and co, but a blow which could be softened by making a move of their own for young Carlisle United talent Gabriel Breeze.

Up until Carlisle's FA Cup first round tie with the Latics in November, Breeze was the Cumbrian side's back-up option, as former Bradford City man Harry Lewis was boss Mike Williamson's preferred choice.

But the 21-year-old's performance against Maloney's men in the cup was so strong that he has resided between the sticks at Brunton Park ever since.

The Latics emerged as 2-0 winners at Carlisle, and have since progressed all the way to the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they will meet Premier League Fulham, but Breeze's fine outing ensured that they required extra time to get through to round two, as he denied a whole host of Wigan shots, including two efforts from eventual goalscorer Jonny Smith.

Meanwhile, Breeze has continued to produce the goods for Williamson's side, despite their battle against relegation in League Two, and has now kept three clean sheets in 12 fourth tier outings, while maintaining a strong save percentage of 75.5%, as per FotMob.

Latics have Tickle to thank for FA Cup progression

While the Cumbrian side's shot-stopper did his very best to try and prevent the Tics from reaching round two, Maloney's men have reached the fourth round of the cup largely thanks to the efforts of Tickle, who produced a notable save of his own at Brunton Park back in November, as he denied Luke Armstrong's goal-bound header.

Time and time again, Tickle has produced a moment of real quality which has proved to change the course of a game, while he went on to keep a clean sheet during his side's 2-0 win at Mansfield Town in the third round.

Without the fine performances of their academy graduate, the Latics would likely not be in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and could be sitting in a more precarious position in the League One table.

But should Tickle depart in favour of a move to either Arsenal or Man United, Maloney and co should keep Breeze in mind as a potential replacement.