Chris Wilder was previously keen on taking the Wigan Athletic top job following the departure of Leam Richardson earlier this month, according to yesterday morning's report from Alan Nixon.

The same reporter revealed that the former Middlesbrough boss was in contact with the Latics regarding the vacancy - but he looks set to lose out to former Arsenal defender Kolo Toure with the Leicester City coach set to be given the chance to take on his first senior head coach role at the DW Stadium.

The 55-year-old is keen to get back into management to prove a point following a turbulent time at the Riverside Stadium, with relationships reportedly being damaged behind the scenes in two different situations.

Firstly, his failure to downplay his links to Burnley at first reportedly created unhappiness on Teesside, with differing opinions on recruitment also believed to have caused tension.

These rumours weren't ideal for the experienced manager who was already known to have endured a frosty relationship with Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah during his time at Bramall Lane.

He won't want to have a reputation of being a problematic figure behind the scenes - but these off-field rumours and his poor form with Boro during the early stages of this season aren't going to be forgotten about quickly or easily - so he ideally needs to get back into the game as quickly as possible.

For a man that had previously been linked with Premier League moves, the top level seems like a million miles away for Wilder now after failing to get the best out of his Boro side.

And after a poor start to 2022/23, he shouldn't be holding out for a top-tier job despite being linked with AFC Bournemouth towards the latter stages of his time at the Riverside.

Instead, he should be looking to get into management via a quick route, so the Wigan job could have been ideal for him with the Latics still having a great chance of remaining afloat in the Championship considering there's still a long way to go this term.

Wilder may not have had the same spending power he had at Boro if he had linked up with the Latics - but Boro's bright form during the early stages of his tenure shows that he can make a difference without a major recruitment drive.

And he will have been able to ask questions during contract negotiations with the Greater Manchester outfit, potentially allowing him to avoid the tensions he had with Boro key figures regarding recruitment during his time at the DW Stadium.

Already spending time out of the game when he left Sheffield United, it doesn't feel as though he would benefit from another long break.

He needs to get back into the game as quickly as possible whilst his passion for management is still burning - and with Wigan being one of the favourites for relegation - there won't be very high expectations of him.

That should allow the 55-year-old to thrive - and if he does manage to keep the Latics afloat - interest in him from other clubs will only rise so this would have been a good job for him to take.