Speculation continues to swirl around Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell after he refused to rule out interest from former club Wigan Athletic, but insisted his full focus remains on Saturday’s League One fixture at St James Park.
Caldwell has emerged as the leading contender for the vacancy at Wigan following the dismissal of Ryan Lowe. The Latics have endured a turbulent spell, suffering a 6-1 defeat against Peterborough United just a week after City won there 1-0. With Wigan now searching for stability, attention has inevitably turned towards a manager who knows the club intimately.
The former Scotland international enjoyed a decorated spell at the DW Stadium as a player, making 111 appearances after joining from Celtic in 2010. He captained the side to their historic FA Cup triumph in 2013, when Wigan defeated Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley.
After retiring in 2015, he moved into coaching within the club’s academy before being appointed first-team manager later that year. Although he could not prevent relegation to League One, he guided Wigan back to the Championship at the first attempt in 2015-16 and was named LMA League One Manager of the Year.
Those ties inevitably fuel speculation, yet Caldwell was careful not to be drawn when questioned directly.
“I can tell you that it’s a club, obviously very close to my heart. I played for them, coached, managed but I’ve been working extremely hard this week for Exeter. I’m the Exeter manager. We have a massive game on Saturday that we’re prepared for and we’ll prepare for again tomorrow and look forward to winning at SJP.”
He also dismissed suggestions of conversations with Wigan, stressing the demands of his current role.
“I’ve been busy this week working, preparing as this job is all encompassing. You have to do everything right to get wins in football matches, and I’ve done that this week. I had my board meeting this morning, I trained again today with the players. We’ll do it again tomorrow and my full focus is on Saturday.”
Focus on performance, not speculation
Caldwell suggested that interest is a natural by-product of success, pointing to Exeter’s impressive campaign.
“I would see that interest comes when teams do well and we have done incredibly well as a team, my team of staff, the players have been incredible this season. The Wigan job’s up. The Tottenham job’s up. The Nottingham Forest job’s up. So I’d like to think that a team that’s doing really well, overachieving for what we should be doing at this level, then that’s why the links come.”
Exeter have responded strongly to a recent setback against Rotherham, earning a hard-fought draw at Mansfield and maintaining momentum near the top end of League One. Caldwell highlighted the club’s historic pace this season, noting they are the quickest Exeter side to reach 10 League One wins and could set another benchmark by reaching 15.
When pressed on whether Saturday could be his final match in charge, his answer was measured.
“I’ll be here for Saturday. I know that. Beyond that? I don’t know. All I can focus on is the next training session, the next game and I’ll be here for Saturday, and I’m looking forward to it.”
For now, attention remains fixed on Exeter’s push to sustain one of the strongest campaigns in the club’s modern history. Whether that focus shifts in the coming days may depend on developments elsewhere, but Caldwell’s message is clear: the immediate task is winning at St James Park.