Former Celt Shaun Maloney has been appointed as manager of Wigan Athletic on a three-and-a-half-year deal [Wigan Athletic].
🙌🏼 We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Shaun Maloney as the Club's First Team Manager.#wafc 🔵⚪️ #BELIEVE
— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) January 28, 2023
The club currently sits bottom of the Championship and Maloney will have a tough job trying to keep them in the league.
He replaces former Celtic Invincible Kolo Toure after he failed to win any of his first nine games in charge in the league.
Having spent time alongside now-Portugal boss Roberto Martinez at the Belgian national set up, the 40-year-old made his first step into management when he was appointed in charge of Scottish Premiership side Hibernian in December 2021.
Things didn’t work out for him at Easter Road and he was sacked in late April following a Scottish Cup semi final defeat to Hearts.
The same issues appear to still be ongoing at Hibs today as Lee Johnson faces a similar sort of situation as the manager appears to have little control over incoming signings.
There were rumours of a potential return somewhere else in Scottish football but he opted to bide his time and has taken on a job at a club that he knows really well.
Following the former Celtic youth academy graduate’s second stint at Parkhead, he headed south to join Wigan Athletic where he picked up an FA Cup winners medal in 2013 which was the clubs last major honour.
