Wigan Athletic intensify transfer efforts to challenge at the top of League One.
Caolan Boyd-Munce sought after by League One rivals Leyton Orient and Wigan Athletic.
Boyd-Munce could have a smoother transition into Wigan’s style of play and bring valuable experience to the team.
Wigan Athletic have already got their transfer business underway ahead of the new 2024/25 League One season.
The Latics were unable to compete for promotion last season due to off-field issues that impacted them on the pitch.
But the club is now back on a level playing field, and they are keen to end their stay in League One this season.
Shaun Maloney’s side have already been busy in the transfer market, as the club have brought in Andy Lonergan and Dion Rankine from Everton and Chelsea, respectively.
While they have also secured the loan signings of Calvin Ramsey from Liverpool and Michael Olakigbe from Brentford.
The Wigan boss is likely going to want a lot more, as they try and compete with the big teams at the top of the league, and it appears he could have his eyes on Caolan Boyd-Munce, who is also wanted by League One rivals Leyton Orient.
Wigan Athletic and Leyton Orient are interested in Caolan Boyd-Munce
Caolan Boyd-Munce is no stranger to English football, playing for both Birmingham City and Middlesbrough in his career.
The midfielder is now playing in Scotland with St. Mirren, and it appears as though his performances have been catching the eye, with EFL teams interested in his services.
It was reported on Tuesday by Sky Sports news reporter Anthony Joseph that Leyton Orient had a bid worth £175,000 rejected by St. Mirren for the midfielder.
He went on to add that Boyd-Munce had triggered an extension in his contract due to the number of appearances made last season, and that is now valid until next summer, but the Scottish side is looking to extend his deal further.
Football Insider have also confirmed the amount that Orient had bid for the Northern Irishman, but they went on to add that Wigan Athletic are also interested in signing the 24-year-old.
In the same update, they also stated that St. Mirren is holding out for a fee in the region of £250,000 before they consider his departure.
It appears as though this could be a two-horse race for Boyd-Munce, and with the player likely keeping his options open, he should be swaying more towards joining Wigan over Orient.
Caolan Boyd-Munce should prioritise Wigan over Leyton Orient
Caolan Boyd-Munce joined the Scottish Premiership side in March last year after being without a club since January, when Middlesbrough decided to let him leave.
As previously stated, the 24-year-old has spent time at Birmingham City and Boro in the early stages of his career after starting his football career in Northern Ireland.
However, it wasn’t a successful time for the player at either club, and he was only given a handful of first-team appearances between the pair.
Therefore, his move to Scotland has provided the player with the platform to play week in and week out, and it appears now that he has impressed in his year and a bit at the club.
The Northern Irishman played 43 times for St. Mirren last season in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing four assists.
Boyd-Munce wasn’t able to have an impact in front of goal in terms of goals, but he was important in the chances he created. The midfielder created six big chances for his teammates and registered 0.9 key passes from his 71% passing accuracy per game.
Boyd-Munce was also important in his defensive work. He averaged 1.2 tackles per game and recovered the ball an impressive 4.1 times per 90 minutes, as per Sofascore.com.
At 24, Boyd-Munce has still got plenty of development left in him, and therefore, it is no surprise that teams such as Wigan or Leyton Orient are looking at the player – he could significantly improve their midfield right away and in the future.
But out of the two clubs interested, the midfielder should be giving more of a priority to Shaun Maloney’s Wigan team. They would be a team that suits his playing style better.
Maloney likes his side to play possession-based, controlled football, and as shown by his stats, Boyd-Munce is more than capable of fitting into that style, as he’s proven to be comfortable with the ball, but improvement (on a pass success rate of little over 70%) would be slightly needed, as Wigan had an overall passing accuracy in League One last season of 83%.
That metric would mean Boyd-Munce would rank 28th in their entire squad from last season, according to Whoscored.com’s stats from League One. This is not ideal for a midfielder in Maloney’s team, and it would need improving, but that would likely happen given how much of the ball Wigan like to have and better players getting on the ball, making themselves available to Boyd-Munce.
Furthermore, the Latics aren’t blessed with great options in the middle of the park. They have Baba Adeeko, Matt Smith, Scott Smith, and Harry McHugh. They are all exciting young players, but Wigan also need a bit of experience and know-how, and Boyd-Munce would definitely bring that, even at a young age himself.
If Wigan are going to challenge at the top end of the league this season, then they are going to need a bit more quality in that area of the pitch. Among those four players mentioned, they scored just two goals and recorded six assists combined in League One last season.
For Wigan to be near the play-offs this season, that is going to have to improve, and while Boyd-Munce may not be the answer on his own, given he’s not exactly prolific in terms of goals, he could help in trying to improve the overall figure from midfield.
