Caldwell focused on Exeter despite Wigan links

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell has not ruled himself out of taking over at Wigan Athletic but says he has not been contacted yet.

The former Latics boss is one of the favourites for the vacant role at Exeter's League One rivals after Ryan Lowe was sacked last week with Wigan in the relegation places.

Caldwell has been in charge of Exeter since succeeding Matt Taylor in October 2022.

In that time he has established them as a League One side and if they stay up this season it would be their longest spell in the third tier since the late 1970s and early 1980s.

"I had my board meeting this morning, I trained again today with the players, we'll do it again tomorrow and my full focus is on Saturday," Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon.

"Interest comes when teams do well and we have done incredibly well as a team - my team of staff, the players have been incredible this season.

"The Wigan job's up so I'd like to think the success that we've had would put us in for that, the Tottenham's job's up, the Nottingham Forest job's up.

"So I would like to think that a team that's doing really well, overachieving for what we should be doing at this level, then yes, that's why the link's come."

During Thursday's press conference before the visit of Northampton Town on Saturday, Caldwell was asked if there had been approach from Wigan and replied "not at the moment."

When asked if he had had any conversations with Wigan he said "I've been busy this week, working, preparing".

"This job is all-encompassing, you have to do everything right to get wins in football matches and I've done that this week," he added.

Caldwell, who still has his family home in the north west of England, led Wigan to promotion to the Championship in 2016, having had a playing career that saw him represent Celtic, Scotland and Wigan.

He helped the Latics win the FA Cup in 2013 during a five-year playing career at the club before moving into coaching.

Caldwell's Grecians - who could be forced to slash their playing budget next season after financial issues this term - are 13th in League One despite already having one of the division's smallest playing budgets.

During his time in charge he has led them to the fourth round of the FA Cup - where they were beaten by Premier League side Nottingham Forest on penalties - and 14th, 13th and 16th-placed finishes in League One.

"We are in a position that is very close to the best this club has ever finished," he said.

"We are the quickest Exeter team ever to 10 wins in League One, we have the opportunity to be the quickest team ever to 15.

"So it's not a time to look back at this football club, it's a time to enjoy the here and now and definitely look forward to the remaining games of this season and get as many points as we can."