Wigan Athletic manager Gary Caldwell has dismissed reports linking him with the vacant manager’s job at Aberdeen, insisting he is committed to his work at the Brick Community Stadium. The speculation comes at a difficult point in Wigan’s season, with the club sitting 21st in League One’s relegation zone on 11 points from 14 matches.
Aberdeen links and Wigan roots
The job in Scotland opened on November 9 when Aberdeen parted company with head coach Stephen Robinson after a 0-4 home defeat to Hibernian. Assistant head coach Brian Kerr and first-team coach Stephen Craigan also left, with Aberdeen 11th in the Scottish Premiership on 11 points from 12 games. Academy coach Stuart Duff has taken interim charge of first-team training while the club searches for a new head coach.
talkSPORT chief football correspondent Alex Crook reported that Caldwell was understood to be admired by Aberdeen and among the names under consideration. Neither club has announced a formal approach or confirmed an official shortlist.
In an interview with Wigan Today published on November 12, Caldwell played down the rumours. “Nothing from my side,” he said. He described Aberdeen as a club with a strong history, but added that, as far as he was concerned, “there’s nothing in it.”
Recent form and the Barnsley match
Caldwell’s immediate focus is Saturday’s League One fixture against Barnsley at the Brick Community Stadium, which kicks off at 3pm on November 14. Wigan have won three, drawn two and lost nine in the league, leaving them two points and two places above 23rd-placed Barnsley, who have played two fewer games. A positive result could lift Wigan out of the relegation places, while Barnsley will see the match as a chance to close the gap.
Wigan enter the weekend in improved form after taking four points from their last two league matches, beating Bromley 3-2 and drawing 0-0 with Mansfield Town. They also recorded two away cup victories, winning 3-0 at Boreham Wood in the FA Cup and 2-1 at Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Trophy.
Caldwell believes the team is in a better place than earlier in the campaign because players have had time to settle, build relationships and develop an identity. He said the next step is turning that progress into consistent performances and results.
That ambition is tied to his history at Wigan, where he has worked as a player, coach and manager and says he feels at home. Now in his second spell as manager, Caldwell won the League One title in 2015-16 before being dismissed three months into the next Championship season.
Determined to finish the plan he started in that first spell, he said he is enjoying the progress made so far and accepts that setbacks will come along the way. He called his return “a very long-term project that I want to see out” as Wigan fight to climb away from relegation trouble.
