Wigan Athletic should take Omar Bogle failure as a transfer warning | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic must avoid an Omar Bogle repeat as they look to sign a new striker this January

Wigan Athletic's League One campaign is not going to plan, as the Latics have been struggling in front of goal, and sit much closer to the relegation zone than to the play-off spots.

Last season, Shaun Maloney successfully steered the Greater Manchester outfit to a top-half finish, despite the fact they had begun the season with an eight-point deduction, and were subject to a transfer embargo, meaning that the boss was limited to the use of free agent and loan signings, academy graduates and players signed by previous managers.

But these were challenges which the Scot navigated seamlessly, and at the end of last season, Latics supporters were hopeful that their side could enjoy a more successful 2024/25 term, following a summer transfer window in which they were free from such restrictions.

However, last summer, the Tics witnessed the exits of experienced attacking trio Charlie Wyke, Josh Magennis and Stephen Humphrys, who were only replaced by the loan signings of youngsters Joe Hugill and Dale Taylor from Manchester United and Nottingham Forest respectively.

In fact, academy product Josh Stones was the only striker still at the Brick Community Stadium at the start of the season, before he joined Oldham Athletic on a short-term loan deal last month.

Unfortunately for Maloney and co, Hugill and Taylor have not proven to be adequate replacements for last season's club top scorer, Humphrys, nor for the experience of Wyke and Magennis.

With this in mind, it is clear that the Latics must sign an experienced striker come the January transfer window, but it is vital that they recruit the right player.

Latics should take 2017 Omar Bogle signing as a recruitment warning

Amid Wigan's struggles at the wrong end of the League One table this term, and in particular their lack of threat in the final third, they must sign a striker this January.

But while supporters will be eager to see new bodies coming through the door as soon as possible in the transfer window, Maloney and co must ensure that they make the right choice.

One example of a struggling Latics side came during the 2016/17 Championship season, and then manager Warren Joyce responded to tough times by signing striker Omar Bogle from League Two Grimsby Town.

At the time, Bogle seemed like he would be a good recruit for the Tics, as he had notched a solid return of 19 goals in 27 fourth tier outings during the first half of the 2016/17 campaign for Grimsby.

However, upon his arrival in Greater Manchester, the striker was not nearly as prolific as he was during his Mariners days, and scored just three goals in 14 league appearances, as the Latics were relegated from the Championship back to League One.

Then, just a few months on from his arrival at the Brick Community Stadium, he left in the summer of 2017 to join Cardiff City, where he also struggled in front of goal, and went on loan to Peterborough United by January 2018.

As the Tics look to sign a new striker for the remainder of the current campaign in January, it is vital that they sign the right man, and avoid a potentially painful Bogle repeat.

January 2017 transfer window was a Latics horror show

Unfortunately for the Latics, Bogle was not the only unsuccessful recruit of the January 2017 transfer window, as Joyce's recruitment was particularly poor.

In fact, on transfer deadline day that year, the Tics boss signed a remarkable total of eight players, who all failed to help the club in their quest to obtain Championship survival.

Alongside the addition of Bogle, Joyce signed former Manchester United winger Gabriel Obertan, goalkeeper Matt Gilks, Mikael Mandron, Jack Byrne, Josh Laurent, Alex Bruce and James Weir.

Due to current owner Mike Danson's ethos of financial sustainability, the Latics are extremely unlikely to take such drastic action during the upcoming transfer window.

However, Bogle's signature, which came nearly eight years ago, must always be viewed as a warning to Wigan's recruitment team of just how pivotal it is to ensure that they sign the correct striker.