Joseph in: 2 deals Wigan Athletic can be expected to make before the EFL kick-off on August 9th | OneFootball

2 deals Wigan Athletic can be expected to make before the new campaign begins

Wigan Athletic were busy early on in the summer transfer window with the loan captures of Brentford's Michael Olakigbe and Liverpool's Calvin Ramsay, as well as a permanent deal for then Chelsea man Dion Rankine.

These signings were made swiftly as the Latics made an effort to fulfill manager Shaun Maloney's wish, as reported by Wigan Today, of having 90% of next season's playing squad in place before a warm weather training camp in Hungary which took place during the first week of July.

However, the Latics were not able to meet Maloney's demand on this occasion, as veteran goalkeeper Andy Lonergan, signed on a player-coach basis, became the only new addition aside from the aforementioned three prior to the club's trip to Hungary.

It could still be argued that the best pieces of business this summer conducted by Maloney and co were renewing the contracts of in-demand shot-stopper Sam Tickle as well as experienced centre-half Jason Kerr.

On Monday 15th July, the Latics signed defender Will Aimson from Exeter City, who will add seniority to a backline which includes youngsters such as England youth international Charlie Hughes and 21-year-old James Carragher, who has never made a league appearance for the Greater Manchester outfit.

Aimson was also the Grecians captain last season, so Maloney will know he can rely on his new player's leadership skills, but with the 2024/25 season just around the corner, the Latics still have transfer deals left to complete.

FLW takes a look at two pieces of business we can expect to see at the Brick Community Stadium before the new campaign kicks off.

In: Kyle Joseph

Latics owner Mike Danson has instilled an ethos of financial sustainability at the heart of the club's operations, which is understandable given the fact that the club went into administration in 2020 due to the failed ownership of Stanley Choi, and were also placed under a winding up petition last summer due to the financial wrongdoings of Danson's predecessor Abdulrahman Al Jasmi.

One unfortunate by-product of the club's new sustainability focus is that, at present, the club's only out-and-out attacker is youth academy product Josh Stones, who has very little first-team experience at League One level, due to the fact that former attacking trio Josh Magennis, Charlie Wyke, and Stephen Humphrys all left WN5 following the expiration of their respective contracts this summer.

But the Latics have recently made a bid for their ex-striker Kyle Joseph, now of Blackpool, according to Football Insider.

Joseph is a Wigan academy product, who scored five League One goals for the Greater Manchester side during a 2020/21 season in which the club were affected by administration, and joined Swansea City at the end of the campaign.

Last season, the former Scotland youth international scored one goal but did manage five assists in League One for the Tangerines in just 12 starts, while during the 2022/23 season, he scored nine third tier goals for Oxford United during a loan spell from the Swans.

The Latics will likely continue to pursue the 22-year-old in the hope that he can rekindle his goalscoring form at the club where he began his career.

Out: Luke Robinson

The recent loan addition of Liverpool right-back Ramsay, as well as former Chelsea man Rankine, who played as a right-wing back when on loan at Exeter last season, will likely lead to the Latics deploying the versatile Steven Sessegnon in the left-back spot.

This could spell bad news for Luke Robinson, who has not enjoyed regular playing time with the Latics after playing a vital role in the club's unlikely League One survival in 2020/21, which came despite the fact that they were in administration for the vast majority of the campaign.

Robinson's chance to become a hero that campaign came as a consequence of an injury suffered by Tom Pearce, who left the Brick Community Stadium earlier this summer after his contract expired, and his efforts during his 25 third-tier outings helped the club avoid the drop to League Two.

The 22-year-old went on to make just 10 appearances in all competitions during the 'Tics' 2021/22 League One title-winning season, with six of them coming in the EFL Trophy, while he was selected in the league on just one occasion.

He has subsequently endured loan spells with Tranmere Rovers and Scottish Premiership outfit St Johnstone, where he made 32 appearances last season.

A further loan could be the best way forward for Robinson, due to the strength in depth Maloney's men now boast in the fullback area.