With Wigan Athletic scheduled to kick-off their 2019/20 Championship campaign in 26 days' time, manager Paul Cook has finally taken the first step to improving his squad by signing David Marshall earlier today on a free transfer.

Most recently at Hull City, the 34-year-old goalkeeper became a free agent last month after failing to agree new terms at the KCOM Stadium.

Brought in on a two-year deal by the Latics, Marshall will be aiming to establish himself as the club's first-choice shot-stopper during pre-season.

Speaking about the move to the club's official website, the Scotland international admitted: "I came down to the club last week to have a look around.

"I've played against the goalkeeper coach Nick Colgan a few times and I know of his reputation as a coach.

"It was great to meet the manager and his staff and they made me feel like this was the best place to be.

"I felt at home straight away and I know some of the lads through previous clubs and from playing for Scotland.

"It seems the perfect fit."

Given his previous experiences at Championship level, it will be intriguing to see just how big of an impact Marshall can have at Wigan next season.

Keeping this in mind, we have set out two pros as well as two cons to the Latics' most recent arrival based on his career to date.

Check them out below...

Pros

He was impressive for Hull last season

A mainstay in Hull's side last season, Marshall played in all but three of the club's fixtures in the Championship, keeping eleven clean-sheets and impressing throughout the year.

Extremely confident in between the sticks, the former Cardiff City ace will be confident that he can continue his recent form in a Wigan shirt during the upcoming campaign which in turn will keep him in contention for international selection.

If he can hit the ground running for his new side, there is no reason why cannot help them achieve a top-half finish in 2020.

He will bring a wealth of experience with him to the DW Stadium

Certainly no stranger to England's second-tier, Marshall has played a mammoth total of 366 games at this particular level of football and thus won't be fazed by what the league has to offer next season.

By using his wealth of experience to his advantage, the keeper may be able to help with the development of some of the club's up and coming stars who have yet to make their bow in the Championship and could be finding the situation daunting.

Cons

He is very much in the twilight of his career

Whereas Marshall has yet to show any signs of slowing down, bringing him in during what is very much the twilight of his career is somewhat of a risk by Cook.

If his performances suddenly deteriorate mid-way through the upcoming season, Wigan may find themselves needing to buy a new keeper in January in order to avoid the prospect of being dragged into a relegation battle which is the last thing that their supporters will want to see.

His arrival could lead to Owen Evans seeking a future elsewhere

By signing Marshall, Wigan may have inadvertently put the final nail in the coffin for Owen Evans' hopes of breaking into the first-team.

Having watched on from the sidelines for the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign due to the form displayed by loanee Christian Walton, the 22-year-old may have earmarked the next 10 months as his chance to shine for the Latics.

Yet now that Marshall has arrived, it may be more beneficial for Evans to now seek a future elsewhere as he is extremely unlikely to make any sort of impression for Cook's side if he stays in Lancashire for another year.