Does Callum Lang Have a Future at the DW?
Callum Lang Future
Callum Lang made his debut for Wigan Athletic in September 2019 shortly before being sent out on loan to Shrewsbury Town.
The 21-year old came through the ranks at Liverpool, and despite impressing fans whilst at both Morecambe and Oldham Athletic, he is yet to break through at the DW Stadium.
With an uncertain summer ahead for the club, the forward’s future also remains unresolved, and despite being under contract until 2022, he may opt to leave the North West over the coming months. However, with the prospect of financial uncertainty looming, the Latics may look to keep the majority of their younger players at the club for the time being.
The recent defeat to Brentford at Griffin Park keeps the club firmly in the relegation shake-up, and the prospect of League One football could be good news for the striker, who has seemingly adapted well to life in the third tier.
The lively frontman could prove to be an extremely useful asset at that level and may be able to nail down a place in Paul Cook’s starting XI, especially if the club are forced to cut costs over the coming months.
Style of Play
Playing predominantly as a striker, Lang is full of running, and is happy to chase lost causes for a full 90 minutes.
He can scored a variety of goals, with both close range finishes and shots from the edge of the box being part of his repertoire.
Although he still makes the occasional error, his all-round play is constantly improving, and further development can be expected over the next twelve months.
His effort and endeavour helps endear him to supporters, and if he is able to get a run of games at the DW Stadium, he will surely become a fan favourite.
Morecambe
Lang signed for the Shrimps in September 2017 and immediately hit the ground running. He was voted the EFL’s young player of the month after hitting five in five during the festive period, firmly endearing himself to the Morecambe faithful in the process.
Upon netting for the first time, he admitted that he wasn’t sure how to celebrate having never played in front of a home crowd. However, it’s a sensation that he quickly became accustomed to at the Globe Arena.
Although he wasn’t able to sustain his goal-scoring form throughout the remainder of the campaign, he still managed to net some very important goals, many of which helped the Lancashire outfit preserve their place in the English Football League.
Oldham Athletic
Lang made his debut for Oldham in the Checkatrade Trophy in August 2018 and it took him just ten minutes to get off the mark.
Although it was a little while longer before he got into his groove at Boundary Park, the goals eventually arrived and, once again, he enjoyed a fruitful spell in late December, finding the back of the net against both Exeter and Port Vale.
His most prolific spell arrived in the spring when managing to strike in three successive encounters before adding to his tally on the final day of the campaign.
Despite his consistent form domestically, the young forward will be best remembered for his exploits in the Emirates FA Cup. His 89th-minute header against Premier League Fulham helped Oldham to produce one of the shocks of the tournament and propelled them into the fourth round of the competition.
The Cottagers have since been relegated from the top flight and travel to the DW Stadium on the final day of the Championship season.
As of July 7th, Scott Parker’s men are priced at 5/2 for promotion with Betway, and the Latics could have a big say on where they finish as Fulham are in the middle of the play-offs pack.
Shrewsbury Town
It didn’t take long for the 21-year old to find his feet in Shropshire, hitting the back of the net during the club’s topsy-turvy 4-3 victory over Southend United.
However, a foot injury kept the loanee out of the side for the remainder of 2019. Lang was reinstated at the beginning of the calendar year, and scored twice at the end of February.
With the League One season curtailed in mid-March, his purple patch was sadly cut short, and he has subsequently returned to his parent club.
The Future
Motherwell are believed to be readying a bid, whilst several League One clubs are also keeping an eye on the situation.
In an interview with the Shropshire Star back in March 2020, Lang admitted that he would like to lay down some roots, but only if he is guaranteed regular first-team football.
At the time of writing, Wigan’s future is in state of flux, and that surely won’t be helping the situation.
If the Latics find themselves back in the third tier next season, Lang should have a part to play, however, he doesn’t appear to be ready for regular Championship football just yet, and may wish to seek employment elsewhere if Cook’s men are able to avoid the drop this summer.
Cockney Latic is an independent Wigan Athletic fans site and as such, if you feel you have an article, story or feature you would like to see on the site, please let us know.
We are always looking for fans which wish to put new articles on the site, whether they are one offs, or if they become a regular feature. If you’re interested, send your details or articles to us and we will publish them or get in touch.
The email as usual is editor@cockneylatic.co.uk.
The upkeep of the site is funded solely from the advertising on site, from our own pockets and donations from users, if you would like donate it would be greatly appreciated, click here for donation page.