Wigan Athletic have appointed former Ivorian defender Kolo Toure as their new manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The 41-year-old Ivorian, who has been serving as Leicester’s first-team coach since February 2019, held negotiations with the Championship team earlier this month and has already finalised his move to the DW Stadium.
Although Toure played for Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City throughout his playing career and worked with coaches like Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, and Roberto Mancini, he has no prior managerial experience.
Ashvir Johal and Kevin Betsy will join the 118-cap Ivory Coast international at Wigan, and Rob Kelly will serve as his assistant. The team lost James Beattie.
Now that his new teammates are in Turkey for a midseason training camp, Toure will follow them there. On Saturday, December 10, they will resume their Championship campaign against Millwall.
Wigan have been looking for a new manager ever since they fired Leam Richardson on November 10—just two weeks after giving him a new three-year contract following an eight-game losing streak.
Malachy Brannigan, chief executive of Wigan, said: “We are happy that Kolo has become the next manager of Wigan Athletic and the board are glad that he is the guy to take us forward.”
“We received a high calibre of applicants for the manager’s job in recent weeks in a very thorough recruitment process as we looked to appoint the right person for the role.
“From the earliest of conversations we had with Kolo it was evident to us that he had instantly bought into the values of the club, with his enthusiasm, knowledge and immense desire to work and be part of Wigan Athletic shining throughout the process.
“There is no doubt that this appointment is an exciting one for the football club. Kolo is a manager who wants to play a positive brand of football and will strive every day to make the club stronger.
“The work starts immediately with the first-team squad as the season is just a couple of weeks away from restarting.
“As a board of directors, we look forward to working closely with Kolo and his team as the work begins collectively to establish Wigan Athletic as a Championship club.
“I am sure that all Latics supporters will get behind the appointment of Kolo Toure, give their backing to the staff and the players, as the football club begins a new, exciting era.”
Wigan currently lie third-from-bottom in the Championship but are only inside the relegation zone on goal difference.