With Wigan Athletic finding their form in the nick of time, Latics were certainly given a scare in League One this season. Now the relegation has been firmly avoided, and a building project for the squad on the horizon this summer, manager Leam Richardson and his side have plenty of work ahead of them to get back up the football ladder.

Richardson Proves What’s Capable

It was looking hairy at one stage, but an unbeaten run of five games for Latics was the key in avoiding the drop down to League Two. Four wins on the spin over Doncaster, Sunderland, Crewe Alexandra, and Shrewsbury, before a draw with Burton saw Wigan get themselves out of trouble.

Richardson deserves great credit for steadying the ship and being able to put Wigan on a winning run when it mattered. The Latics were on a five-game winless run before that first win over Doncaster, but the fact the manager and his squad did not panic will stand them in good stead ahead of next season.

Plenty of work will need to be done in the hope of making it back to the competitive Championship. Norwich and Watford secured automatic promotion back to the Premier League this term, and now Brentford are the favourites at 13/8 in the Championship betting to go up via the playoffs. That’s where Wigan want to get back to, and the side have shown they are capable of winning runs needed in promotion campaigns.

A Summer of Intent

It’s an intriguing summer that awaits Wigan supporters, following the important takeover of the club by a consortium led by Bahraini businessman Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi. The takeover was completed in March, and now fans will be hoping for a period of stability after a troublesome spell.

New investment also leads to excitement about what can be achieved in the summer transfer window. New chief executive Mal Brannigan has stated the ownership are not going to be “in and out” and that they have a long-term vision for the Lancashire outfit. Getting back to the Championship will be the first step, and it’s clear Richardson will be in need of reinforcements this summer.

With 75 goals conceded in 45 games of the League One campaign, it’s clear there are areas to work on in defence going forward into the new season. Even during the five-game unbeaten run through April, Wigan were only able to keep one clean sheet. So, there was plenty of pressure on the attack to get those all-important goals that have ultimately saved the club from relegation.

Richardson has been at the club long enough to know what he needs to add to his squad over the coming months. It’s an exciting summer ahead for a club that might just have turned a corner, after what was a tough spell to forget for its loyal fans.