Kolo Toure has agreed a three and a half-year deal to take charge of the Wigan Athletic first team squad.

According to Football Insider, an agreement is expected to be confirmed within the next 24 hours.

The club has been searching for a replacement since the decision to relieve Leam Richardson of his position with the Latics.

Richardson helped Wigan gain promotion to the Championship last season, but has overseen a poor run of form in recent weeks which has left the team in the relegation zone.

Toure is currently a coach with Leicester City, having also worked at Celtic in the past.

These stints at both clubs were done while working alongside Brendan Rodgers as manager.

It is believed that Toure has seen off competition from the likes of Darren Ferguson to earn the role, with the Everton legend having been interviewed for the position.

 

 

Toure will be tasked with the ambition of remaining in the Championship with the current squad, although the January transfer window may provide an opportunity to make improvements.

Wigan return to league action with an away trip to Millwall on 10 December, which will now likely be the former defender’s first game in charge.

The Verdict

This is a big gamble from Wigan, especially given how well Richardson had been doing up until a few weeks before his dismissal.

Wigan will have a lot to do to fight against relegation this season, with recent results highlighting how difficult a second half of the season this may be for the club.

Toure has earned a lot of plaudits for his work under Rodgers in recent years, and he has no doubt learned a lot from the Northern Irishman.

But taking the step up to being a manager will be a huge task for the Ivorian and it is a big risk from Wigan to take a chance on a rookie in their given situation.