Wigan Athletic have started the transfer window in a positive manner, and completed the permanent signing of Dion Rankine from Chelsea on Wednesday.
The Latics signed Premier League players Michael Olakigbe and Calvin Ramsay on loan from Brentford and Liverpool, respectively, before acquiring attacking wing-back Rankine.
After a challenging season last year that included an eight-point deduction and a transfer embargo, the Latics must have a productive summer in order to pursue a 2024–25 promotion.
In light of this, Wigan Today was recently informed by manager Shaun Maloney, “I would like to have as much of the squad – 90 percent of the squad – with us starting pre-season.”
This is a direct message to Ben Goodburn, the chairman, and owner Mike Danson telling them to assist the team in wrapping up their transfer transaction as quickly as possible.
The Latics manager is anxious to get his transfer business done as soon as possible because he wants to keep playing possession-based football at Brick Community Stadium, a philosophy that calls for a particular type of player.
Even though June is just halfway through, the club’s ownership group has already permitted Maloney to bring in three Premier League players: Olakigbe and Ramsay on loan, as well as Rankine on a permanent contract.
Supporters of the Latics who want to see their team contend for play-off spots the following season should be thrilled with these acquisitions, which come from the best players in the English game.
Rankine received an excellent football education as a Chelsea youth club product, but fortunately for his In addition to his League One experience from his loan stint with Exeter City last season, he now plays for a new team.
| Dion Rankine 2023/24 League One stats according to FotMob | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 33 |
| Starts | 21 |
| Tackles won (%) | 68.4 |
| Pass accuracy (%) | 78.5 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Goals | 1 |
Ramsay, who has competed for Aberdeen in the Europa Conference League, Liverpool in the Champions League, and the Scotland national team, is another exceptionally talented addition to the third division team.
The Latics have enjoyed positive relationships with several Premier League teams during Maloney’s tenure thus far. The manager will be happy that Brentford and Liverpool agreed to work with his team again this summer, following their respective loans of Luke Chambers and Charlie Goode to the Greater Manchester team last summer.
If the Latics can manage to get in players of this caliber, the Brick Community Stadium may see a thrilling 2024–2025 campaign.
Maloney and company still have a lot of work ahead of them this summer in terms of assembling Wigan’s roster for the upcoming campaign, despite the fact that the club has clearly started the transfer market well.
The Latics’ roster, which is primarily made up of youth academy graduates who made the transition to the first team under the transfer ban last season, is still smaller than that of most of its League One competitors.
The losses of Charlie Wyke, Josh Magennis, and Stephen Humphrys, which have left the Latics with only inexperienced teenage forwards Josh Stones and Chris Sze, mean that the squad will need to add a new striker.
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