Opinion: Wigan Athletic might be wise to sign Championship midfielder on a permanent basis

Wigan Athletic have stormed towards the top of the League One table this season and with the title within reach too, it looks likely that the Latics could be in the Championship next season.

If they do manage to land that elusive promotion, then they would be wise to keep as many of their current first-team regulars at the DW Stadium as possible.

Leam Richardson has found a winning formula with his current crop of players and there is talent to be found within the Wigan squad.

One name who hasn’t featured too often though since his loan move to the Latics is Tom Bayliss.

Considering his previous exploits in the third tier for Coventry, it is surprising to see him used so sparingly at the DW Stadium so far.

For the Sky Blues, he was one of their most impressive players and featured in 38 league games for them during his last season there.

Since then, he has been playing his football for Preston but has struggled to break into their first-team. After just 12 Championship appearances – and two starts – he has been allowed to join Wigan on a short-term basis.

Even for them though, he has struggled to feature too prominently. He’s had just eight appearances and six starts in League One so far – but it could still be beneficial for Wigan to snap him up on a permanent basis this summer if they do seal promotion.

Some might wonder why they should splash the cash on a midfielder who rarely features for them and there are a multitude of reasons for doing so. For starters, they could be losing other players in that midfield area come the end of the season.

Glen Rea’s deal with the Latics will come to an end in the summer for starters and some of their younger talent like Thelo Aasgaard might be snapped up if some bigger teams can