3 players who could follow Sam Tickle out of Wigan Athletic in January 2025 | OneFootball

Amid interest in Sam Tickle, Football League World takes a look at three other Latics players who could be headed for the exit door in January

Wigan Athletic boast a youthful squad following a summer transfer window which witnessed the exits of experienced figures such as striker Charlie Wyke, defender Tom Pearce and goalkeeper Ben Amos.

On the one hand, manager Shaun Maloney is blessed by the talent among his young ranks, such as academy product Sam Tickle, who has established a reputation as one of the best shot-stoppers in League One and is an England Under-21 international.

Tickle's exploits in goal, as well as a strong defence helped the Latics maintain an incredible run of seven consecutive cleansheets across all competitions in September and early October.

However, a lack of experience up front, following the exits of the aforementioned Wyke, as well as fellow senior forwards Josh Magennis and Stephen Humphrys, has seen the Greater Manchester outfit struggle for goals.

Partly due to the ethos of financial sustainability owner Mike Danson has installed at the Brick Community Stadium, the Latics don't enjoy an enormous amount of squad depth.

But despite this, we can still anticipate a number of potential outgoings come the January transfer window, such as the previously mentioned Tickle, who was of interest to Arsenal over the summer, following the departure of previous back-up goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, according to The Athletic.

As per The Sun, the 22-year-old opted against joining the Gunners due to concerns over his game time, but such high-profile interest in his services indicates that he could be a wanted man once again when the transfer window re-opens.

Football League World takes a look at three other Latics players who could be headed for the exit door in January:

Josh Stones

Josh Stones is the Latics' only striker who is at the club on a permanent basis, as opposed to being on loan at the Brick Community Stadium like his colleagues Joe Hugill and Dale Taylor.

However, amid the presence of Hugill and Taylor, the 20-year-old has struggled for game time in League One, although he did score during a recent 2-0 win at Carlisle United in the EFL Trophy.

The young forward also joined National League outfit Oldham on loan last January, and managed three goals in four games in the fifth tier before his loan spell was cut short due to injury.

As reported by the Oldham Times, the non-league outfit were keen for Stones to return to Boundary Park during the summer, but the move never materialised.

However, his lack of game time is an ideal scenario for the National League side, who seem eager to land another deal for the 20-year-old, while Stones could be keen to go out on loan again.

Harry McHugh

The versatile Harry McHugh is a Latics academy graduate who made his senior debut for the club during their time in administration in 2020/21.

However, the 22-year-old has never enjoyed regular playing time at the Brick Community Stadium, and endured a brief loan spell with National League North side Chester in 2022.

McHugh made six appearances for the Latics across all competitions last season, including two League One outings, before going on loan to Scottish Championship outfit Ayr United during the latter half of the campaign, where he scored one goal and produced two assists in 12 league appearances.

But since returning to Greater Manchester, the homegrown talent has once again faced a lack of minutes, so yet another loan move could be on the cards for him.

Jack Reilly

Jack Reilly has been with the Latics since Under-14 level, and signed his first professional contract with the club during the summer of 2023, but did not make his senior debut for Maloney's men until making a substitute appearance during his side's 2-1 defeat to League Two Morecambe in the EFL Trophy last month.

As the 20-year-old makes his first steps into senior football, a loan move away from the Brick Community Stadium could be the ideal move for his development.