Former Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, and Hearts man lands League One coaching job
35 appearances during the promotion campaign, but departed Aston Villa for Heart of Midlothian shortly after. Since then, he has performed for Bristol Rovers, Fleetwood Town, and Wythenshaw Amateurs.
The Republic of Ireland international with 91 caps is making a comeback to coaching in England.
Glenn Whelan, formerly of Aston Villa, has become a member of the Wigan Athletic coaching staff.
With Tom Huddlestone leaving to join Birmingham City, the Latics were looking for a new first-team coach. They moved fast, appointing Whelan, who has secured his third coaching position.
He was named player-coach at Bristol Rovers in the summer of 2022, and that is when he started coaching. Whelan paired that position with coaching the under-16 Republic of Ireland squad.
Whelan left Bristol Rovers after Joey Barton was fired in October and Matt Taylor was hired in December 2023. The greatest coaching credential available, the UEFA Pro Licence, has been earned by him. He has also coached the Republic of Ireland national side, working under legendary Manchester United player John O’Shea.
“I am immensely appreciative to have joined Wigan Athletic,” Whelan wrote on the team’s official website.”I am eager to be involved in the current project as it is really exciting and the football club is fantastic.”
“I want to express my gratitude to Shaun Maloney for giving me the chance to go on coaching for the Club.
“I hope to use my experiences as a player and coach to help the players as much as possible. His coaching philosophies align with mine.”
Over the course of his 22-year playing career, Whelan mostly played in the Premier League, though he also had stints in the Championship and League One. After spending a lengthy time with Stoke City, where he joined from Sheffield Wednesday and helped the Potters stay in the Premier League for nine seasons, he moved to Aston Villa in 2017.
In 2019, he helped Villa Park achieve promotion through the Championship play-offs, making 73 appearances throughout his tenure. Whelan briefly worked for Hearts before leaving to take a position with Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers, both of which Joey Barton managed.
