Joseph Hungbo signs for Wigan Athletic ✍️
Wigan Athletic have signed Joseph Hungbo from Bundesliga 2 side, FC Nürnberg, on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
Wigan Athletic have signed Joseph Hungbo from Bundesliga 2 side, FC Nürnberg, on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
Hungbo has spent the first half of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Rotherham United, but he has now left the New York Stadium and arrived at the Brick Community Stadium.
The former Watford, Huddersfield Town, and Rotherham United winger knows the EFL second and third tiers well and is a welcomed addition to our squad.
🗓️ Born: 15th January 2000 (Age: 24)
👕 Position: Forward. Predominantly a winger.
👟 Strong Foot: Left
Part One: An overview of Hungbo’s career.
Part Two: Hungbo’s role at Wigan.
An overview of Hungbo’s career ⚽️
Born in Peckham, South-East London, Joseph Oluwagbemiga Mayowa Hungbo began his career at the Crystal Palace Youth Academy.
His older brother, Jacob, was a key mentor in Joseph’s development. He would take him to and from training while also helping him develop on the streets near their home.
“We were always known as the kids who played football on our estate. When we were picking teams, I would always choose my little brother first because I would manage him while we were playing.”
Jacob Hungbo speaking to The Athletic
Joseph’s first involvement at Crystal Palace was in a trial match at under 9 level against Ipswich Town. Hungbo netted a hattrick and the coach, Mike Sandmann, invited him to join the Academy the next week.
At 15, Hungbo was selected to move up to the Crystal Palace Under 18s squad where he scored on debut, again against Ipswich Town. His impressive form throughout the season saw the then-striker named the Under 16 Player of the Year 🏆
In his second year as an Academy player, at age 17, Hungbo captained the side and began to attract the attention of other clubs. His brother, Jacob, decided that Joseph now needed an agent to prepare for a professional contract, and they settled on former Wigan Athletic centre-back Fitz Hall. Shortly after, Joseph Hungbo became a professional football player for Crystal Palace.
Hungbo moved up to the Under 23s squad after signing his contract and became a ‘Number 10’ in a competitive group of players. A dislocated shoulder ruled him out for three months, and it was decided that a loan down to non-league would be a good option for his development.
Former Under 9s coach, Mike Sandmann, was the Gaffer at Margate FC and Hungbo joined them on loan in January 2019 ✍️
Hungbo featured six times for Margate but was unable to score a goal. While on loan, he found out that he was being released by Crystal Palace at the end of the season.
Former Under 23s coach, Richard Shaw, had moved to Watford FC and Fitz Hall called his former club to discuss a potential move for Hungbo. They agreed and took him on a one-year deal from Summer 2019.
Hungbo was a regular for Watford Under 23s in the 2019/20 season, and even made his first team debut in an FA Cup Third Round Replay against Tranmere Rovers in January 2020.
With 13 goals to his name for the Under 23s this season, Hungbo was given a two-year contract to sign as he prepared to step up to first-team football.
In November 2020, Hungbo was loaned out to Aldershot Town in the National League on a short-term deal until the winter window. The winger made five appearances for the Shots but did not register a direct goal contribution and returned to Watford in early January 2021.
“He was great. Spot on in training with a fantastic professional attitude. I felt for him a bit because we rotated quite a lot, but he affected the game in different ways whether he started or not.
He’s got the great combination of quiet confidence with humble work ethic. He knows he can’t just rely on his ability to get to where he wants to get to, he knows he has to learn and listen.”
Aldershot manager, Danny Searle, speaking to The Athletic
The day after returning from Aldershot Town, Hungbo was included in Xisco Muñoz’s FA Cup Third Round team at Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
With 15 minutes left to play, Joseph Hungbo took to the field. From the streets of Peckham to the turf of Old Trafford, Hungbo was now looking to make a name for himself in first-team football and Muñoz had plenty of praise for him.
“He has an excellent attitude every day. I need him to keep going. He’s got big professionals with him, so he has to keep learning.”
Xisco Muñoz after Watford vs Manchester United
Hungbo made five appearances for Watford in the Championship for the remainder of the season, before joining Ross County in the summer on a season-long loan to the Scottish Premiership. 🏴
Malky Mackay was the County Gaffer at the time and their 2020/21 season had been a disappointment with a 10th-place first-phase finish in a division of just twelve clubs. County were placed into the bottom six ‘Relegation Round’ phase and finished just 9 points ahead of Hamilton on 39 points with 11 wins, 6 draws, and 21 defeats.
Throughout the regular season, Hungo made 28 appearances for County scoring 6 goals and providing 4 assists. The winger’s stunning long-range free kick in a 5-0 victory over Dundee won the SPFL October Goal of the Month. This was his first professional goal. 🎯
At the end of the regular season, Hungbo had helped Ross County climb to 5th in the division to enter the top six ‘Championship Round’. County finished 6th behind Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dundee United, and Motherwell, but had secured 41 points from 10 wins, 11 draws, and 17 losses, to show a stark improvement from the season before 📈
The winger was named Ross County’s Young Player and Players’ Young Player of the Year, alongside winning the club and league Goal of the Season for his long-range free kick 🏆
“I am surprised about how well I have done. I did not think I would do what I have done, but sometimes with good form and good people around you, you can embrace it and express yourself in different ways. I definitely think I have done that this season.
I don’t think I will score a better goal [than the free kick]. It was my first professional goal, and you can’t really write things like that.”
Joseph Hungbo speaking to Ross County post-season.
Hungbo returned to Watford in the Summer of 2022 and prepared to take part in their Championship campaign. However, the winger picked up just 89 minutes of league action over 7 appearances under Rob Edwards and Slavan Bilić, along with 75 minutes in an FA Cup Third Round tie against Reading and 81 minutes in an EFL Cup Second Round tie against MK Dons.
In January 2023, Huddersfield Town signed Hungbo on a season-long loan from the Hornets. The winger made 14 appearances for the Terriers until the end of the season, netting 3 goals and providing 1 assist.
When Hungbo returned to Watford in the Summer, the Hornets were going through a rebuild under new manager Valerien Ismael. In a shock transfer, German Bundesliga 2 side, FC Nürnberg, signed Hungbo on a permanent deal in July 2023.
Hungbo made his league debut away at Hansa Rostock and completed his first 90 minutes a game later against Hannover 96. Unfortunately, a knee problem kept him out for the next two games, but he made his return with three substitute appearances in September.
In mid-October, Hungbo was ruled out for an extended period with an adductor tear. The adductor muscles are located by the thigh and affect the pelvic bone down to the knee.
The winger returned in early February to feature in twelve more games for the club but managed as much as 45 minutes just twice in the latter stages after working his way back up to full fitness.
In July 2024, Rotherham United announced that they had signed Hungbo on a season-long loan from FC Nürnberg, becoming Steve Evans’ 11th signing of the window. ✍️
In the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, Hungbo featured 18 times for the Millers, with 13 League One appearances to his name totalling 487 minutes. His only 90 minutes for the club came in a 1-0 EFL Cup Second Round victory away at Bradford City.
The Millers have struggled so far this campaign, and Hungbo was unable to contribute directly to any goals.
Hungbo’s role at Wigan 🤝
Wigan Athletic currently have six recognised wingers at the club, excluding Joseph Hungbo. However, Dion Rankine has been ruled out for the majority - if not all - of the campaign through injury.
Hungbo most often plays on the right wing, but has experience playing on the left and also centrally. With Silko Thomas and Michael Olakigbe the regular features on the left wing, we can assume that Hungbo will compete with Jonny Smith for the right-wing place.
Wigan Athletic’s current winger options.
Callum McManaman (Age: 33) - Out of contract in Summer
Jonny Smith (Age: 27) - Out of contract in Summer
Dion Rankine (Age: 22) - Long term injury.
Maleace Asamoah (Age: 22)
Silko Thomas (Age: 20) - On loan from Leicester City
Michael Olakigbe (Age: 20) - On loan from Brentford
Callum McManaman has made twelve appearances so far this season, with Maleace Asamoah involved just five times. The former has naturally adopted more of a coaching and guidance role, while Asamoah is one for the future and will be phased in slowly after more time with the Under 21s and substitute appearances.
Jonny Smith and McManaman are both out of contract in the Summer, and neither has signed an extension. In my opinion, the former has put in enough good performances to warrant an offer, but I would be surprised to see our FA Cup winner stay on the playing staff side of the club.
One of Hungbo’s biggest traits is his pace. The winger has always had blistering speed in his locker and is not afraid to try his luck in 1v1 situations. Being predominantly left-footed, Hungbo can be compared to Jonny Smith with this side to his game, but it’s the end product that could put Smith ahead of our latest recruit in the pecking order.
Hungbo recently featured in his 100th senior game but has just 9 goals and 5 assists on his record. For comparison, Jonny Smith is closing in on 300 senior appearances and has been credited with 47 goals and 33 assists. 📊
While some of Hungbo’s direct goal contributions have been impressive, he will be the first to admit that he wants those numbers to be much higher at this stage of his career with his 25th birthday coming in January.
Shaun Maloney looks to have settled on a squad and formation that he is happy with, and I can’t see how Hungbo would be asked to play any other position than on the wing. This consistency could benefit Hungbo, as he can keep his head down and focus on being the best version of himself in that role.
As many of his previous managers have stated, his work ethic and dedication are admirable traits, and Maloney will enjoy working with him.
It is often the case that some footballers just need a fresh start and a big vote of confidence to discover form that they have not had before.
Exhibit A: Will Keane
Joined Wigan Athletic for the 2020/21 League One season after underwhelming senior spells with QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston North End, Hull City, and Ipswich Town.
Scored 11 goals and provided 3 assists in 105 senior league appearances before joining the Latics.
Scored 48 goals and provided 14 assists in 119 senior league appearances for the Latics.
Exhibit B: Callum Lang
Spent 3 seasons in the Championship with Wigan Athletic, totalling 36 appearances with 1 goal and 4 assists to his name.
Joined Portsmouth FC in January 2023, helped them back to the Championship, and now has 9 goals and 1 assist in 18 appearances in the second division.
There are countless other cases of footballers who may not have hit the heights expected of them, or the expectation the player puts on themself, but a fresh start at a new football club unlocks something inside them to take their game to the next level. Let’s hope that Hungbo experiences this at Wigan Athletic.
Welcome to Wigan Athletic, Joseph Hungbo!
Up the Tics 🔵⚪️
🙌 Thank you for reading!
✍🏼 Charlie Keegan / Central Wigan
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