Wigan Athletic should look to beat Bolton Wanderers in Charlton Athletic pursuit | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic should rival Bolton Wanderers' interest in Charlton Athletic midfielder Terry Taylor

Wigan Athletic currently sit seven points above the League One relegation zone following consecutive league defeats at the hands of title challengers Wrexham and Birmingham City.

However, due to the tight nature of the third tier table this term, the Latics are also just five points behind the top half, with two games in hand on 12th place Lincoln City.

Tuesday night's FA Cup third round victory over Mansfield Town will have given Shaun Maloney's men confidence ahead of their League One trip to Stevenage, who sit just four points above them, on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Latics have been busy in the January transfer window, and have signed the likes of striker Will Goodwin on loan from Oxford United, and defender Josh Robinson on a permanent deal from Arsenal.

However, in recent weeks, the Tics have experienced a series of midfield injuries, which is something Maloney must now look to address in the transfer market this month.

The Wigan boss recently revealed to Latics TV that midfield trio Baba Adeeko, Tyrese Francois and Matt Smith have all suffered long-term injuries, while Smith may not be able to make his return to fitness prior to the end of the season.

Wigan should look to hijack Bolton Wanderers interest in Charlton Athletic man

Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke revealed via X on Monday that both Bolton and Scottish Premiership side Dundee are interested in signing Charlton midfielder Terry Taylor on loan.

Due to the fact that the Wales Under-21 international has only made eight appearances for the Addicks in League One this term, Nathan Jones and co should be willing to let him leave the club on loan.

But while Bolton are keen on making their swoop for Taylor, the Latics should hi-jack their bitter rivals' pursuit of the 23-year-old, in an effort to bolster their own midfield.

While Taylor is still a youngster, and is currently struggling for game time at the Valley, he boasts bags of experience at League One level, courtesy of his time with former club Burton Albion.

During the 2022/23 campaign, which was his last season with the Brewers, the Addicks man made 26 League One appearances, in which he notched four assists, having created 36 chances, as per FotMob.

Taylor could add missing creativity back to Wigan's midfield

Due to the injuries suffered by Matt Smith and Francois, the Latics are without their technicians in the middle of the park, and are currently reliant upon Jensen Weir and Scott Smith, who are combative midfielders, but can lack creativity.

But Taylor's aforementioned return of five assists in one campaign is more than Scott Smith has ever managed in his whole career, demonstrating the former Brewers man's superior ingenuity.

Furthermore, the Addicks midfielder has enjoyed a rich footballing education, having come through the academy ranks at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, for whom he made one senior appearance prior to joining the Brewers.

Meanwhile, Weir showed just how good he can be in an attacking sense during his time on loan with Morecambe in the third tier back in 2022/23, as he scored 10 goals and created five assists in 43 league appearances.

But since then, the Latics academy graduate has not been able to hit those heights, and failed to assist, while scoring just one goal in 17 League One outings for Port Vale last term.

With this in mind, it is clear that Maloney should look to add more creativity to his midfield, which is something which Taylor could bring to the table, having made 14 chances in just eight league appearances and six starts for the Addicks this term, according to FotMob.