Michael Olakigbe departs Wigan Athletic 🗞️
Wigan Athletic have confirmed that Michael Olakigbe has returned to Brentford after his loan spell was cut short.
Wigan Athletic have confirmed that Michael Olakigbe has returned to Brentford after his loan spell was cut short.
The young winger joined Latics on May 29th 2024 and departed from his season-long loan on January 27th 2025.
Part One: Olakigbe’s season with Wigan Athletic
Part Two: Latics’ Wide Options
Olakigbe’s season with Wigan Athletic 🔵
When Michael Olakigbe signed for Wigan Athletic on loan from Brentford, I was excited to see what he could do in Maloney’s system which relies heavily on wide-attacking players.
The winger, who made his Peterborough United debut against Wigan Athletic during his loan spell last season, has plenty of pace to burn and is not afraid to take on his defender either on the inside or outside. In truth, I expected Olakige to thrive here.
Unfortunately, in an 11 v 11 training game during our preseason in Hungary, Olakigbe suffered a broken leg after it got planted in the ground during a challenge attempt. 🤕
The youngster returned to Brentford for scans and rehabilitation until he was named on the bench against Stevenage on September 29th. A 33-minute debut cameo showed positive signs despite the game ending in a goalless draw.
Olakigbe then made the bench in our next game against Exeter City and picked up 36 minutes in another goalless draw.
Maloney handed Olakigbe his first Latics start on October 2nd at home against his former club, Peterborough United. The winger featured for 56 minutes and departed the field with Wigan 2-0 up after a Dale Taylor double. 🫡
A 45-minute stint off the bench against Stockport County in another 0-0 draw was followed by a start in the EFL Trophy on the left wing against League Two’s Carlisle United. In the 24th minute, Olakigbe raced down the wing to advance into the penalty box and find the back of the net for his first senior career goal ⚽️
Olakigbe started in our next League One game against Cambridge United but was one of three changes at halftime after Maloney’s side were 2-0 down from a calamitous first half. The winger was then named on the bench against Mansfield for the next game but picked up another 45 minutes as Latics lost 2-1 on home turf.
At the end of October, Maloney gave Olakigbe another start to show what he can do away at Blackpool. An excellent first half saw the Latics go 2-0 up after some impressive pressing from our forward line.
Early in the second half, after Blackpool had pulled one back, Olakigbe had a golden chance to restore our two-goal lead but the winger opted to shoot low and allowed Richard O’Donnell to make a simple save. This missed attempt signalled to me that the winger’s decision-making in front of the goal still has plenty of room to develop as such a key moment in the game went begging and Blackpool ended up picking up a point.
Olakigbe’s next two appearances both came in cup competitions, with a start against Carlisle United in the FA Cup and a halftime introduction against Nottingham Forest U21s in the EFL Trophy. Olakigbe was unable to directly contribute to the scoreline as the Latics won both games.
A knock saw Olakigbe miss the next five games until he returned in mid-December with a start away at Chesterfield in the first knockout round of the EFL Trophy. An underwhelming 90-minute appearance saw the Latics lose 3-2 to our League Two opponents.
Maloney handed Olakigbe four starts in his final six League One appearances, managing 90 minutes just once against Shrewsbury Town in the 2-2 draw. It is relatively uncommon that our wingers manage to last the full game, but Olaigbe was substituted earlier with each start after 73 minutes against Wrexham, 67 minutes against Birmingham, and 55 minutes against Burton Albion.
After picking up a total of 656 minutes from 13 League One appearances, Olakigbe was unable to add any goals or assists to his career league tally in senior football. His EFL Trophy goal against Carlisle United was the first of his career after being unable to net for Brentford or Peterborough United.
It is clear that Olakigbe has a decent pace and can find success in 1v1 situations, but the final decision for passes and shots must be worked on if the winger wants to start directly affecting the scorelines.
Unfortunately, this loan spell has not worked but it might be worth the 20-year-old dropping into League Two and trying to find a good run of form there to boost his confidence.
Michael Olakigbe’s League One Stats
🏟️ Appearances: 13 (7 Starts)
⏰ Minutes: 656
⚽️ Goals: 0
🅰️ Assists: 0
👟 Touches: 304
🎯 Pass Accuracy: 80%
🥅 Shots: 4/7 On Target
🔑 Key Passes: 13
⤴️ Long Balls: 4/6 Complete
💪 Ground Duels: 26/65 Won
✈️ Aerial Duels: 1/13 Won
❌ Clearances: 5
💢 Blocked Shots: 1
🔄 Interceptions: 3
🚫 Tackles: 8
Latics’ Wide Options 🔎
Michael Olakigbe has become the third season-loan loanee who departed the football club early after Calvin Ramsay returned to Liverpool and Joe Hugill returned to Manchester United.
Maloney is a big fan of pacey wingers but he has shown plenty of signs that he demands goal contributions in order for them to remain a regular option.
Silko Thomas has been Olakigbe’s common rotation option on the left wing but the Leicester City loanee has two assists in 22 appearances and has picked up 18 starts showing that he is higher in the pecking order at this stage.
Wigan Athletic signed Joseph Hungbo from FC Nürnberg early in the window and the winger has picked up one assist in just 182 minutes of action so far.
Hungbo can play on the left or the right, has pace to burn, but most importantly has joined on a permanent contract which means Maloney will be more inclined to develop him ahead of a loanee who would depart in the summer.
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.
Olakigbe’s departure now means that Maloney has six recognised wingers at the football club. Callum McManaman and Jonny Smith are both out of contract in the summer, but it is likely that both will be given extensions.
McManaman may move more into a coaching role, but Smith has shown how influential he can be in Maloney’s system with 4 goals and 3 assists so far this season in 22 appearances.
Wigan Athletic’s current forward options.
Callum McManaman (Age: 33) - Out of contract in Summer
Jonny Smith (Age: 27) - Out of contract in Summer
Joseph Hungbo (Age: 25)
Dion Rankine (Age: 22)
Maleace Asamoah (Age: 22)
Silko Thomas (Age: 20) - On loan from Leicester City
Maleace Asamoah is still working his way back from an injury but is believed to be close to a return, and the former Fleetwood Town winger is also on a permanent deal with the football club. He is still very raw, but like Hungbo it makes sense for Maloney to work on developing him ahead of a loanee.
Dion Rankine is also only just ‘back on the grass’ but has shown some promising signs this season and is on a long-term contract. The former Chelsea youngster has netted just once this season, but when he returns from injury Maloney will want him in the matchday squad to push for his position.
All of this is to say that ultimately, Michael Olakigbe had fallen down the pecking order at Wigan Athletic and a big factor of that was that he was here on loan. If he was on a permanent deal, I imagine he would have been given extra opportunities to show what he can do.
It makes sense for the loan to come to an end so Brentford can assess his options for the remainder of the window with days still left to go.
There is still some time left in the January transfer window for Wigan Athletic to make changes to this squad. So, subscribe to this Substack to be notified when more news breaks. 🗞️
All the best in your career, Michael!
Up the Tics 🔵⚪️
🙌 Thank you for reading!
✍🏼 Charlie Keegan / Central Wigan
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