Next Wigan Athletic Manager: Leyton Orient boss and ex Sunderland and Swansea City men linked with job

Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens has been named as one of the potential candidates to take over from Ryan Lowe at League One rivals Wigan Athletic after the Latics sacked their manager on Sunday.

Peterborough United thrashed Wigan Athletic 6-1 in a fatal blow that ended Lowe’s 11-month tenure at the Brick Community Stadium. The result left the team in the relegation zone with just one win in their last 10 league outings.

Lowe was appointed manager in March 2025 on a three-and-a-half-year contract, succeeding Shaun Maloney in the job. The former Preston North End and Plymouth Argyle boss won just 12 of his 49 matches in charge.

Wigan Athletic sack Ryan Lowe after Peterborough United defeat

A statement from Wigan Athletic on Sunday read: “Wigan Athletic can confirm that they have parted company with Head Coach Ryan Lowe. In the interim, Glenn Whelan & Graham Barrow will take on First Team matters, and the Club will work quickly to identify and appoint a new Head Coach of the Football Club. The Club would like to place on record its thanks to Ryan for his efforts and wishes him all the best for the future.”

The Latics are next in action against Reading on Tuesday night before travelling to Arsenal in the 4th Round of the FA Cup on February 15. Wigan Athletic will now be on the lookout for a new permanent appointment.

Several names have already been put forward as leading candidates. Whelan is an early frontrunner to land the job on a permanent basis as he takes temporary charge for the second time in 12 months, doing the same following the departure of Maloney.

Leyton Orient boss linked with Wigan job, alongside ex Sunderland and Swansea City men

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens is another name being linked. The 45-year-old is highly respected in the division thanks to his success in taking the O’s to the play-off final last season but is believed to have been on thin ice at times this season with the London outfit sitting 18th in the third tier.

Wellens did sign a contract extension with Leyton Orient last summer, committing his future to the club until 2028 and could be hard to prize away for Wigan Athletic. Speaking earlier this month, Director of Football Martin Ling told London Now: “Sometimes his weakness in terms is talking about it to the media. But I look at in terms of is, does that negativity that he has got or said carries on into the training ground into the week? And the answer in no.

“Sometimes that period after the games, and I have done it for 15 years, Richie is not that type of person. He says it like it is and shows his passion. That’s the way he does it and he has done all the time he has been here.

“But if I felt or the board feel sometimes what he has said [comes] into the training ground then it could be a problem. But that has not happened. We think Richie is the man for the club. He is the gaffer for the long term forward.”

Former Swansea City manager Alan Sheehan could also be an option for Wigan Athletic after being sacked by the Swans in November following a poor start to the season. Ex Sunderland and Wales manager Chris Coleman is also available after leaving Asteras Tripolis, and has been linked with other EFL vacancies recently.

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