Wigan Athletic are close to appointing Leicester City coach Kolo Toure as their new boss.

The Latics hierarchy made the decision to sack Leam Richardson earlier this month and a host of names have been linked with the vacancy since.

And, it appears that Toure could be the new man in charge, as reporter Alan Nixon revealed that Wigan owner Talal Al Hammad has flown to England to 'finalise the appointment'.

Should the move happen, it would be the first managerial role for the ex-Arsenal player, who won the Premier League with the Gunners and Manchester City, although he does have plenty of coaching experience picked up in the past few years.

After finishing his playing days at Celtic, Toure joined the coaching staff at Parkhead with Brendan Rodgers in 2017 and then followed the manager as he moved to Leicester two years later, with the Ivorian still part of the backroom team now.

Wigan had been surprisingly linked with the 41-year-old's brother, Yaya, earlier this week but he made it clear he wasn't keen on the job.

The verdict

This would be a very brave and bold appointment and it's one that Wigan really need to work.

Toure's pedigree as a player is clear to see and that would help him command the respect of the dressing room immediately, however this is still a risk because he has no managerial experience.

Nevertheless, the past five years working with Rodgers will have helped Toure a lot and he obviously feels as though he is ready to take the next step in his career and this would be a fantastic opportunity for him.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.