2015 David Sharpe move for Will Grigg unforgettable

Wigan Athletic unexpectedly found themselves relegated to League One at the end of the 2014/15 season, following a shocking Championship campaign just two years on from their famous FA Cup triumph in 2013.

Following a decade which saw eight years in the Premier League, culminating in the club’s cup fairytale, the positive feeling which had surrounded Wigan had all but disappeared by 2015 as the Greater Manchester side fell down into the third tier.

The Latics’ relegation was particularly unfortunate for David Sharpe, who had become chairman in March 2015 after being handed the position by his grandfather, Dave Whelan, who had overseen the club’s glory days.

The Latics’ drop from the Championship to League One prompted the exits of several prominent first team members such as winger James McClean, meaning Sharpe had to rebuild his side’s squad during his first summer as chairman.

As part of this reset, the then 24-year-old opted to sign striker Will Grigg, who had scored 22 goals in 40 League One appearances for MK Dons, on loan from previous club Brentford, during the 2014/15 campaign and this addition proved to be one of the best transfers in the club’s recent history.

Grigg’s contributions to Latics will never be forgotten

Grigg joined the Latics during a tough period in the club’s history, but he quickly helped the Greater Manchester outfit turn things around, and spearheaded them back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

In fact, during a remarkable 2015/16 season, the Northern Ireland international was absolutely prolific, and scored 28 goals in all competitions, including 25 goals in 40 League One appearances.

The Latics lifted the third tier title in 2016 after amassing an impressive tally of 87 points, a feat which would not have been possible without Grigg’s goalscoring contributions.

Meanwhile, the forward’s exploits in front of goal earned him temporary celebrity status courtesy of the Latics terrace anthem “Will Grigg’s On Fire”, which took social media by storm during the summer of 2016 due to his involvement in the Northern Ireland Euro squad.

The one regret Latics fans will have regarding their former forward, though, is that he was unable to produce the goods at Championship level once the Greater Manchester outfit were promoted back to the second tier.

During the 2016/17 Championship season, the striker managed just five goals in 33 appearances as Wigan were relegated straight back down to League One, much to the disappointment of supporters.

However, Grigg was able to re-ignite his sharp form in front of goal during the following season as the ‘Tics were once again crowned third tier champions in 2018, this time winning a whopping 98 points and pipping local rivals Blackburn Rovers to the prize.

This time around, the ace scored 19 goals in 43 League One outings, which was a very respectable return, but not quite as eye-catching as the numbers he had produced in the division two seasons previously.

But Grigg had arguably enjoyed a better season on the whole during 2017/18 than that of 2015/16, as he was surprisingly the FA Cup’s top goalscorer that campaign with seven goals in eight cup appearances.

Most memorably for supporters, the Northern Irishman scored a brace as the Latics defeated Premier League opponents West Ham United in the fourth round, before scoring the winner as his side defeated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 1-0 against all the odds during a last 16 tie which produced a shock repeat of the 2013 final result.

But even after proving his ability to score against the best sides in the land, Grigg once again struggled to find his way in the Championship, scoring just four goals in 17 second tier appearances before being sold to Sunderland in January 2018.

Grigg helped Latics turnover a healthy profit

After signing the striker from Brentford, where he was out of favour, for an undisclosed fee in July 2015, by January 2018 the Latics sold Grigg to Sunderland in a deal worth £4m, which was the League One record transfer fee at the time.

Frustratingly for the Black Cats, Grigg was never able to replicate his Latics form in the north-east, and managed just eight goals in 62 appearances for the Stadium of Light outfit.

But while the Northern Ireland international helped the Latics receive a large transfer sum, it is his ability in front of goal that supporters will always remember.

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