Wigan Athletic will have a new-look defence next season after announcing that captain Jason Kerr will be departing the club this summer.
The skipper ends his five-year association with the Latics as Gary Caldwell prepares for his first transfer window at The Brick Community Stadium.
It’s a surprising call from an outside perspective, with Kerr one of their top performers on paper this season.
Likewise, the move to let Will Aimson leave the club also raised eyebrows, meaning that two-thirds of Wigan’s starting central defenders will need to be replaced in the summer window.
A campaign which promised so much delivered relatively little, aside from a cup tie at Arsenal. A 16th-place finish won’t have been deemed acceptable for the 2013 FA Cup winners, though there was a genuine possibility of relegation under Ryan Lowe earlier in 2026. He was dismissed following a 6-1 mauling by Peterborough United, a result which saw Wigan fall deeper in trouble in the League One drop zone.
Caldwell has guided them away from relegation and into a position of security, which saw them retain their third-tier status with games to spare. That was at the expense of his former employers, Exeter City, who slipped down the division following Caldwell’s departure in mid-February. Only seven teams have picked up more points than the Latics since he was appointed, with the north-west outfit winning seven of his 16 matches in charge.
However, there will also be a need to replace the goals of Joe Taylor and Callum Wright, Wigan’s two top goalscorers this season. Former Imp Taylor was in electric form in the second half of the campaign, bagging 11 times in just 21 appearances during his loan from Huddersfield Town. The chances of the Terriers man returning to Lancashire next term are next to none, with Championship interest likely in the young forward.
But, there may be better news regarding Wright, who initially returned to Plymouth Argyle. The Pilgrims have today announced that he is one of nine players who have not been offered a new contract at Home Park. Interest is likely to be high in the 26-year-old, who won three awards for his performances at the Latics this season, including the main Player of the Year prize.
What Are The Early Hopes For Wigan Next Season?
I have to admit, I was impressed by Wigan in the first meeting between ourselves and the Latics in September. It was one of the few games from memory that I feel we were slightly fortunate to get a positive result, and I thought that they would push on towards the play-offs following that result. That clearly wasn’t the case, and they put in a gritty performance in the fixture at The Brick Community Stadium in January when they were fighting at the opposite end of the division.
A summer of overhaul awaits the Lancashire outfit, with just 12 senior players contracted beyond this campaign. Nine have been offered new deals, including Matt Smith and Jensen Weir, while Steven Sessegnon and Tyrese Francois join the two above-mentioned centre-halves in leaving the club when their contracts expire.
Looking ahead to next season, I don’t see any reason why, with the right recruitment, Wigan can’t push towards the League One play-offs. Half of the bargain comes with the head coach, and the Latics have clearly got themselves a top one in Caldwell. Getting the right players in is no easy task at all, particularly when you look at the likes of Huddersfield Town and see how they fared. But a much more positive 26/27 campaign should be expected for Wigan.
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