Wigan Athletic appoint Kolo Touré as club's new manager | OneFootball

Kolo Touré has been appointed as the new First Team Manager of Championship club Wigan Athletic.

The Latics have been on the lookout for a new permanent manager since Leam Richardson was sacked earlier this month, and Touré joins the club on a three-and-a-half year deal.

Kevin Betsy and Ashvir Johal will also join Wigan as part of the Ivorian’s backroom team, with Rob Kelly staying on as assistant manager.

Touré played for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Celtic during his playing career and since hanging up his boots, he has also held coaching roles at Celtic and Leicester City alongside Brendan Rodgers.

“We are delighted that Kolo has become the new manager of Wigan Athletic Football Club, and the Board are pleased that he is the man to take us forward,” Wigan’s Chief Executive Malachy Brannigan told the club’s official website.

“We received a high calibre of applicants for the manager’s job in recent weeks, in a very thorough recruitment process as we looked to appoint the right person for the role.

“From the earliest of conversations we had with Kolo, it was evident to us that he had instantly bought into the values of the Club – with his enthusiasm, knowledge and immense desire to work and be part of Wigan Athletic shining throughout the process.

“There is no doubt that this appointment is an exciting one for the Football Club. Kolo is a manager who wants to play a positive brand of football and will strive every day to make the Club stronger.

“The work starts immediately with the first team squad, as the season is just a couple of weeks away from restarting.”

Touré takes over a side who are currently 22nd in the Championship and the 41-year-old’s first match in charge will be a trip to face Millwall on 10 December.