Wigan Athletic could be set to lose Shaun Maloney in the summer as a struggling Championship side are keeping tabs on the Scot’s progress at the DW Stadium, according to reports.
After an illustrious playing career, the former Scotland international started on an interesting coaching path, learning his trade at Celtic before being named on Roberto Martinez’s backroom staff at the Belgium national team for EURO 2020, having played under the Spaniard during his time with the Latics.
Following his stint on the international circuit, he took over at Scottish Premiership side Hibernian before eventually landing back at Wigan in January 2023. The club were in a difficult place at the time and Maloney was the third man to take the reins at the Greater Manchester club in a matter of months.
With relegation from the Championship likely, Wigan Athletic allowed Maloney to take the club down and keep his position. This season, held back with an eight-point deduction, the Latics are sitting mid-table in 11th but would have been 10th had it not been for the pre-season punishment.
๐บ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ | ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ (๐)
Go behind the scenes with the Tics at Saturday's 1-0 win over Blackpool FC at the DW ๐ฝ#wafc ๐ตโช๏ธ
— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) March 18, 2024
Furthermore, Maloney’s men are now 15 points above the relegation zone, all but mathematically confirming another season in England’s third tier. As a result, the young head coach has suitors from the division above.
According to a report from Football Insider, Watford have set their sights on appointing Maloney as Valerien Ismael’s permanent successor in the Vicarage Road dugout after the Frenchman was relieved of his duties almost two weeks ago.
Former Everton and Manchester United man Tom Cleverley was handed the reins on an interim basis but there has also been talk that the Hornets have added Scott Parker to their list of managerial targets.
Writer’s View
Watford has been a graveyard for managers in recent seasons. Only Rob Edwards and Marco Silva have been sacked from the club in recent seasons and gone on to have relative success elsewhere, meaning it’s a tough sell for any coaches.
Maloney is building something great at Wigan Athletic and will be much stronger next season. With a fresh start, the team may even be able to fight for promotion back to the Championship which seems likelier than lasting even 12 months at Watford.
Deputy Head of Writing
