Wigan Athletic should look to Northampton to fill Stephen Humphrys shaped hole: View | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic, who began the 2023/24 League One campaign with an eight point deduction, were able to land a top-half finish in the third tier.

The Latics were also subject to a transfer embargo, but manager Shaun Maloney steered his side to a comfortable mid-table finish, with a squad compiled of youth academy products, free agent signings and players signed by previous managers.

England youth internationals Sam Tickle and Charlie Hughes have rightfully gained many plaudits at the Brick Community Stadium, as well as external admirers, but Stephen Humphrys should also be given a great deal of credit for finishing the 2023/24 season as the Latics' top goalscorer.

However, the Greater Manchester outfit have not retained the services of the former Rochdale man, who is available to other clubs as a free agent this summer.

Humphrys was a class act at times during the 2023/24 season, and finished the campaign with nine goals in 38 appearances and 24 starts, while Latics fans will have particularly enjoyed his brace during an emphatic 4-0 win over bitter rivals Bolton Wanderers back in August.

The 26-year-old was once again on the scoresheet as his side defeated Wanderers 1-0 back in February, but he will not be plying his trade for Wigan next season.

Latics should look to Northampton for Humphrys replacement

Northampton Town ace Sam Hoskins was a class act for the Cobblers as they were promoted from League Two to League One during the 2022/23 season, scoring an impressive 22 goals in the fourth tier.

The 31-year-old then proved his worth at League One level, bagging 15 goals in 38 appearances as Jon Brady's men secured a 14th place finish at the end of the 2023/24 third tier campaign.

Prior to 2023/24, the last time Hoskins played in the third tier, he scored just seven goals during a miserable 2020/21 season which saw the Cobblers relegated back to League Two, but he has now shown his goalscoring prowess in League One.

The Latics could do with a goalscorer such as Hoskins, as fellow forwards Charlie Wyke and Josh Magennis were released alongside Humphrys.

Furthermore, now that the club's transfer embargo has been lifted, Maloney and co can set their sights on the 2024/25 play-off places, and will need a forward such as Hoskins to spearhead their potential top-six chasing efforts.

Hoskins could be keen on Latics move

The former Yeovil Town man is a Cobblers stalwart, having signed for Northampton from the Somerset outfit in the summer of 2015, but he could feel as though now is the right time to depart the club he has represented for almost a decade.

During Hoskins' nine-year tenure with his current club, they have never bettered their 14th place League One finish of the 2023/24 season, while it could be argued that the Latics have a much higher ceiling than that, having played Championship football as recently as 2022/23.

Furthermore, now that Hoskins is 31, he may be keen to pursue a shot at second tier football, and he could achieve this aim if the Latics sign him this summer.

In addition to this, the ace is a wide forward with a goalscoring edge, which is the role that Humphrys played for Maloney during 2023/24, so Hoskins could be an ideal like for like replacement.