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Wigan Athletic

Heartbreak#3566.1

Wigan, Manchester · England · League One

Major cups
1
last 2013

Power-ranking history

Hover a season for its rank and score
Rank (1 = best)1309Score (per-season normalised)0.00.51.009/10

Against expectation

Every English top-flight match this club has played, scored against the odds an Elo rating gave it before kick-off. Over 8 seasons from 2005-06 to 2012-13 it has fallen short of them by 0.0 match points.

Wigan Athletic: surplus against expectation, 2005-06 to 2012-132005-06: +3.6 league points vs expected (51 on 47.4, 3 for a win) · bar height +0.5 match points2006-07: −5.3 league points vs expected (38 on 43.3, 3 for a win) · bar height −2.0 match points2007-08: +0.5 league points vs expected (40 on 39.5, 3 for a win) · bar height +0.3 match points2008-09: +1.6 league points vs expected (45 on 43.4, 3 for a win) · bar height +0.4 match points2009-10: −5.6 league points vs expected (36 on 41.6, 3 for a win) · bar height −1.9 match points2010-11: +3.9 league points vs expected (42 on 38.1, 3 for a win) · bar height +2.3 match points2011-12: +5.3 league points vs expected (43 on 37.7, 3 for a win) · bar height +1.8 match points2012-13: −3.9 league points vs expected (36 on 39.9, 3 for a win) · bar height −1.4 match points
2005-06one bar per season · height in match points · hover for that season2012-13
Best season against expectation
2011-12 +5.3 league pts
43 points on 37.7 expected as Wigan Athletic
Worst season against expectation
2009-10 5.6 league pts
36 points on 41.6 expected as Wigan Athletic

Season points use that season’s own scoring, two for a win before 1981-82 and three after; the bars use match points so the whole series is comparable.

Manchester against expectation →How this is measured →

What the squad was worth

Total market value of the squad, EUR millions, by month; the player count beside it is the size of the priced squad.

How this is measured

Drawn as a step, not a curve: Transfermarkt reprices every squad in December and June (marked with a small tick on the axis) and revalues continuously between, so the line only moves when a real valuation changed, never by interpolation.

A month renders no value at all once the priced squad falls below 15 players, so a thin squad is never shown as a cheap one. The series is floored at July 2012on purpose: earlier Transfermarkt totals reflect which players happened to be priced yet rather than the squad’s real worth, and are excluded rather than shown misleadingly low.

Upstream (dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets) has been paused since July 2026, so the series ends where the source ends rather than where the season does.

Player valuations from Transfermarkt via github.com/dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets (CC0).

What the squad was worth€12m
Wigan Athletic: squad value by month, 2012-07 to 2024-120387712-1314-1516-1718-1920-2123-24
Peak
€71m in Jan 2013 · 27 players valued
Most recent
€12m in Dec 2024 · 18 players valued

Manchesteron the rankings →

The money ledger

Fees paid and received each season, and what the squad was worth once the trading is netted out.

How this is measured

Spent is the fees paid for players arriving, received the fees for players leaving, both in EUR millions by the July-to-June season of the move. A move with no fee on record (a free, a loan, an undisclosed sum) is counted, never priced: the small figure beside each total is the moves with a fee, plus those without (so 4+3 is four priced arrivals and three unpriced), and a quiet window is not mistaken for a cheap one. Wages are not here: they are estimates nobody licenses, and fees are documented.

Appreciationis the season’s change in squad value with the net spend taken out: buy 100m of players and finish 100m higher is zero; finish 120m higher and the club made 20m of players better, or the market repriced them. It needs a priced squad at both ends of the season (the same 15-player floor as the value chart), so it is blank rather than guessed for a season that lacks one.

The source has been paused since 6 July 2026, so the final row holds only the opening days of its window.

Transfer fees and player valuations from Transfermarkt via github.com/dcaribou/transfermarkt-datasets (CC0).

The money ledger+€29m
Spent
€14m
11 arrivals with a fee
Received
€43m
12 departures with a fee
Net
+€29m
155 moves with no fee
Appreciation
−€14m
10 seasons with a priced squad

Grown or bought: in 2025-26, trading €0m and appreciation . Over the last 5 seasons (2021-222025-26), trading +€4m and appreciation unpriced.

The director’s ledger: 25 arrivals graded since 2022-23, 2 ungraded, 100% EV-positive. No fee-paying arrivals to grade a multiplier on.

2025-26 spent received
7 moves, no fee on record
unpriced
2024-25 spent received €4m
out: Thelo Aasgaard €4m
unpriced
2023-24 spent received
21 moves, no fee on record
−€2m
squad gain
2022-23 spent received
10 moves, no fee on record
−€2m
squad gain
2021-22 spent €0m received
in: Graeme Shinnie €0m
unpriced
2020-21 spent received €6m
out: Kieffer Moore €2m
unpriced
2019-20 spent €8m received
in: Kieffer Moore €3m
−€7m
squad gain
2018-19 spent received €4m
out: Dan Burn €4m
+€16m
squad gain
Show all 14 seasons
2017-18 spent received €0m
out: Kaiyne Woolery €0m
−€1m
squad gain
2016-17 spent €1m received
in: Nathan Byrne €1m
−€2m
squad gain
2015-16 spent €1m received €2m
in: Jack Hendry €0m
−€15m
squad gain
2014-15 spent €4m received
in: Andy Delort €4m
−€21m
squad gain
2013-14 spent €1m received €16m
in: Scott Carson €1m
+€8m
squad gain
2012-13 spent received €12m
out: Victor Moses €12m
+€12m
squad gain

Money against football

Every priced club-season in the six leagues: points against expectation across, squad value gained beyond the net spend up. This club’s seasons are joined.

Tap or drag on the plot: the nearest club-season, its points and its money.

the frontier: no other club-season beat it on both axes · this club, season by season, the largest dot the latest

Every club’s return on the transfer window →

Greatest games

Wigan Athletic's top matches by the club Game Score: closeness, stakes, quality and upset over one unified rating of league and European play.All-time board.

#DateStageResultScore
12013-05-11FA Cup · FinalNW 1-0 v Manchester Citygame score 70.8
22014-03-09FA Cup · QuarterfinalsAW 2-1 v Manchester Citygame score 66.5
32006-01-10League Cup · Semifinals · 1st legHW 1-0 v Arsenalgame score 60.9
42014-04-12FA Cup · SemifinalsND 1-1 v Arsenal(pens 4 / 2)game score 60.5
52018-02-19FA Cup · Fifth RoundHW 1-0 v Manchester Citygame score 58.2
62008-05-11Premier LeagueHL 0-2 v Manchester Unitedgame score 57.4
72006-01-24League Cup · Semifinals · 2nd leg, agg 2-2AL 1-2 v Arsenalgame score 57.1
82011-05-15Premier LeagueHW 3-2 v West Ham Unitedgame score 53.4
92013-11-28Europa League · Group StageHL 1-2 v SV Zulte-Waregemgame score 51.7
102010-04-18Premier LeagueHW 3-2 v Arsenalgame score 51.6

Footprint

Tiers played
L1, L2, L3, L4
Top-flight (L1) seasons
8
Lower-tier league seasons
40
First season
1979
Most recent season
2026

The Heartbreak Index6.1 · #356

The Damned · Major trophy, 2013

6.1
Heartbreak
#356
of 1,139 clubs
#228
in Football
3.7
agony · 2.4 despair
The clocks
  • Major trophy since 20133.0
  • Major final appearance since 20131.5
Heaviest wounds

relegated from the top flight, 2013 · relegated from the second tier, 2023 · lost the league cup final, 2006 · relegated from the second tier, 2020

One formula, every club the site covers. See the whole board →

Season-by-season

Most recent season first. Covers Levels 1 through 5 of the English pyramid. Rows tagged "national playoff" are pre-modern formats where the workbook records only playoff participants, not round-robin standings.

2027
League One (3) · P23● live
6 P · 1-1-4 · 5:11 · -6
4
pts
2026
League One (3) · P16
46 P · 14-14-18 · 49:58 · -9
56
pts
2025
League One (3) · P15
46 P · 13-17-16 · 40:42 · -2
56
pts
2024
League One (3) · P12
46 P · 20-10-16 · 63:56 · +7
62
pts
2023
Championship (2) · P24
46 P · 10-15-21 · 38:65 · -27
42
pts
2022
League One (3) · P1
46 P · 27-11-8 · 82:44 · +38
92
pts
2021
League One (3) · P20
46 P · 13-9-24 · 54:77 · -23
48
pts
2020
Championship (2) · P23
46 P · 15-14-17 · 57:56 · +1
59
pts
2019
Championship (2) · P18
46 P · 13-13-20 · 51:64 · -13
52
pts
2018
League One (3) · P1
46 P · 29-11-6 · 89:29 · +60
98
pts
2017
Championship (2) · P23
46 P · 10-12-24 · 40:57 · -17
42
pts
2016
League One (3) · P1
46 P · 24-15-7 · 82:45 · +37
87
pts
Show all 49 seasons
2015
Championship (2) · P23
46 P · 9-12-25 · 39:64 · -25
39
pts
2014
Championship (2) · P5PO
46 P · 21-10-15 · 61:48 · +13
73
pts
FA SFEL
2013
Premier League (1) · P18
38 P · 9-9-20 · 47:73 · -26
36
pts
FAEL
2012
Premier League (1) · P15
38 P · 11-10-17 · 42:62 · -20
43
pts
2011
Premier League (1) · P16
38 P · 9-15-14 · 40:61 · -21
42
pts
2010
Premier League (1) · P16
38 P · 9-9-20 · 37:79 · -42
36
pts
2009
Premier League (1) · P11
38 P · 12-9-17 · 34:45 · -11
45
pts
2008
Premier League (1) · P14
38 P · 10-10-18 · 34:51 · -17
40
pts
2007
Premier League (1) · P17
38 P · 10-8-20 · 37:59 · -22
38
pts
2006
Premier League (1) · P10
38 P · 15-6-17 · 45:52 · -7
51
pts
Lg Cup
2005
Championship (2) · P2
46 P · 25-12-9 · 79:35 · +44
87
pts
2004
First Division (2) · P7
46 P · 18-17-11 · 60:45 · +15
71
pts
2003
Second Division (3) · P1
46 P · 29-13-4 · 68:25 · +43
100
pts
2002
Second Division (3) · P10
46 P · 16-16-14 · 66:51 · +15
64
pts
2001
Second Division (3) · P6PO
46 P · 19-18-9 · 53:42 · +11
75
pts
2000
Second Division (3) · P4PO
46 P · 22-17-7 · 72:38 · +34
83
pts
1999
Second Division (3) · P6PO
46 P · 22-10-14 · 75:48 · +27
76
pts
1998
Second Division (3) · P11
46 P · 17-11-18 · 64:66 · -2
62
pts
1997
Third Division (4) · P1
46 P · 26-9-11 · 84:51 · +33
87
pts
1996
Third Division (4) · P10
46 P · 20-10-16 · 62:56 · +6
70
pts
1995
Third Division (4) · P14
42 P · 14-10-18 · 53:60 · -7
52
pts
1994
Third Division (4) · P19
42 P · 11-12-19 · 51:70 · -19
45
pts
1993
Second Division (3) · P23
46 P · 10-11-25 · 43:72 · -29
41
pts
1992
Third Division (3) · P15
46 P · 15-14-17 · 58:64 · -6
59
pts
1991
Third Division (3) · P10
46 P · 20-9-17 · 71:54 · +17
69
pts
1990
Third Division (3) · P18
46 P · 13-14-19 · 48:64 · -16
53
pts
1989
Fourth Division (3) · P17
46 P · 14-14-18 · 55:53 · +2
56
pts
1988
Third Division (3) · P7
46 P · 20-12-14 · 70:61 · +9
72
pts
1987
Third Division (3) · P4PO
46 P · 25-10-11 · 83:60 · +23
85
pts
1986
Third Division (3) · P4
46 P · 23-14-9 · 82:48 · +34
83
pts
1985
Third Division (3) · P16
46 P · 15-14-17 · 60:64 · -4
59
pts
1984
Third Division (3) · P15
46 P · 16-13-17 · 46:56 · -10
61
pts
1983
Third Division (3) · P18
46 P · 15-9-22 · 60:72 · -12
54
pts
1982
Fourth Division (4) · P3
46 P · 26-13-7 · 80:46 · +34
91
pts
1981
Fourth Division (4) · P11
46 P · 18-11-17 · 51:55 · -4
47
pts
1980
Fourth Division (4) · P6
46 P · 21-13-12 · 76:61 · +15
55
pts
1979
Fourth Division (4) · P6
46 P · 21-13-12 · 63:48 · +15
55
pts
Domestic Cup Finals

Most recent first. Every domestic cup final the club has played, including losses. Scheduled finals (date not yet passed) are flagged.

2013
FA Cup
Won
2013
Community Shield
Runner-up
2006
League Cup
Runner-up
European competition appearances

Most recent first. One row per entry showing the deepest round reached. A Cup Winner badge marks tournaments the club won: gold for the European Cup / Champions League, silver for every other UEFA or Intercontinental trophy.

2013-14
Europa League(EL)
Round of 32 / qualifying