Wigan have shown an interest in veteran Danny Mayor, who will be a free agent this summer following the expiration of his contract at Plymouth, according to journalist Alan Nixon.
Mayor has spent the past four seasons with the Pilgrims, amassing 163 appearances during that time. The 32-year-old made 30 appearances, scoring once as well as supplying five assists during the 2022/23 season, in a year which was marked with success for Argyle.
In one of the closest title fights in recent memory, Plymouth would come out on top, fending off both Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday to win the League One title. They would eventually finish three points clear at the top, scoring 101 points in what was a truly remarkable season for the club. Now returning to the second tier for the first time since 2010, the Pilgrims will be looking to strengthen the squad in order to be competitive. As a result, some long serving player’s contracts have not been renewed, Mayor being one of those.
Who is Danny Mayor?
The midfielder started his career with Preston, who he would stay with until 2012 before moving onto Sheffield Wednesday. A two-year spell with the Owls, saw the midfielder play the majority of his minutes out on loan at Southend and Bury and he would sign for the latter in 2014. Mayor would make 235 appearances for Bury prior to signing for Plymouth in 2019. In total the 32-year-old has 428 League appearances to his name and has played in all three tiers of the EFL, the majority coming in League One. With plenty of experience, Mayor would be a good addition to any League One side this summer and would certainly help the lesser experienced and younger players in the dressing room.
Wigan are reportedly interested in the midfielder, and they will be looking to put all of the off-field problems behind them to challenge in League One next season. With reports of multiple players leaving this summer due to late payments of wages, the Latics will be looking to bring in some new names this summer. The club had previously been placed under a transfer embargo, which has since been uplifted after they were bought by Wigan-born billionaire Mike Danson.
Having returned to League One following their 24th place finish in the Championship last season, Wigan will want to be competitive next season. The sale of the club has at least secured the future of club, but there are still plenty of off-field problems that need to be sorted if the Latics are to make a return to the second tier. In the forthcoming season, Wigan will start on minus eight points, having broken EFL regulations by not paying players and staff on time. Next year will very much be focused on re-building, and bringing in experienced players such as Mayor will certainly help.
Writer’s view
Although the situation is not as dire at the DW Stadium as it was a couple of weeks ago, Wigan still have plenty to overcome if they want to be competitive next year. They’ll have to be shrewd during the transfer window, and bringing in experienced names such as Mayor will no doubt help the Latics next year. We probably won’t see Wigan in contention for promotion next season but at the minute the survival of the club seems most important.
