Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has told his players they must improve on their final Premier League place this season.
The Latics survived one or two nervy performances in the Premier League last season to avoid relegation and eventually finish 16th in the table and Martinez is anxious to see an improvement come next May.
He told the Wigan Evening Post: “If you look at clubs like Birmingham, Fulham, Stoke, Blackburn, they had top-12 finishes last season.
“It is quite clear that, in terms of finances and history, it is very difficult to compete with the top-seven clubs in the Premier League. But after that I feel the other positions are available to teams with a two, three, four-year plan.
“With clear, long-term planning you can develop as a club, meaning Wigan Athletic no longer has to be a club just focused on surviving.
“It’s clear that last year was going to be about surviving, because there was a change of idea and a change of style of play. We’ve come through that now and it’s time to move on to the next level.”