Opinion: Wigan Athletic should look elsewhere amid recent transfer links | OneFootball

Having secured promotion to the Championship, it looks set to be a busy summer ahead for Wigan Athletic.

The Latics had an excellent League One campaign, being crowned champions of the division, but will need re-enforcements if they are to remain a second-tier side beyond next season.

The summer has not even arrived yet, but still the transfer rumours are beginning to swirl.

The latest man to be linked with a move to the DW Stadium is Sheffield Wednesday striker Lee Gregory.

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who name Wigan as one of a few clubs interested in securing the forward’s services.

Whilst Gregory certainly had a good campaign in League One – particularly in the latter stages, Wigan Athletic should avoid bringing him to the club this summer.

Not as prolific

Despite his 16 goals in the third tier this campaign, the Latics would be best served looking elsewhere, with Gregory having previously shown that he is not as prolific at Championship level as he is in League One.

In 183 second-tier appearances across five seasons, Gregory has scored just 40 goals – an average of eight goals per season.

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Comparing this to his numbers in League One – 51 goals in 114 appearances across three seasons – there is a clear drop off from his third-tier average of 17 per season.

That’s perhaps what you’d expect given the leap in abilities between the two leagues, but with Wigan having just been promoted, his inability to carry his goals into the division above should be a concern.

Transfer fee

As should Gregory’s age considering that Wigan would be required to pay a transfer fee to secure his services this summer.

Gregory has one year left on his deal at Hillsborough, and given that he turns 34-years-old in August, Wigan should be reluctant to pay a transfer fee for a player of his age.

It isn’t like Sheffield Wednesday are going to let him leave the club on the cheap given that they could really do with his goals in League One once again next season.

Paying any sort of significant transfer fee makes even less sense when you consider the players that the Latics already have on their books.

Leam Richardson used two strikers for the most part in the latter stages of the campaign, with a front two of Will Keane and Callum Lang racking up an impressive 41 goals between them in League One.

With those two also notching sixteen assists between them, Wigan Athletic would surely be best served once again going with that combination in the Championship next season.

For all of the above reasons, Wigan should steer clear of Lee Gregory amid the current transfer links.