Wigan Athletic have experienced a respectable return to the Championship after romping to the League One title last season. 

Safety is not yet guaranteed but it would take a significant upset for them to throw away their status now with just one more place in the drop zone seemingly to be decided.

There have been a few impressive campaigns too with Nick Powell being predictably classy in attack and the defensive unit holding firm throughout.

And the stand-out man in that unit has been Chelsea loanee Reece James.

The right-back has proven to be a real asset both in defence and attack, really catching the eye of his parent club in the process.

Having made the Championship's team of the season, he is somebody who is sure to have a lot of attention focused on him in the summer.

And here are THREE potential paths he could follow...

Return to Chelsea 

 

This would surely be the dream for James.

The club have said that there are plans for him to be involved with the first-team next season but can he really take that seriously?

Chelsea have had an awful lot of exciting youth products who have not got anywhere near the first-team squad, including fellow second-tier man Tammy Abraham so it would be a bit of a risk from James.

Push for Wigan stay

This would probably be the safest option for the youngster.

He still has many years ahead of him in the game so staying where he is likely to play regular football makes sense.

However, whether it would prove enough of a challenge is a different question.

Go elsewhere

If he is not going to get into the Blues' first team, he will most likely be sent out on loan again.

With that in mind, it would be an opportunity for him to potentially test himself at a significantly higher level, which would probably be best for him.

Teams throughout the Championship and maybe even the Premier League would be very happy to take him on.