Tom Naylor arrived at the DW Stadium in the summer of 2021 on a three-year-deal having previously been the Club captain at Portsmouth FC. The defensive midfielder started his career at Mansfield Town by signing his first professional contract in March 2009. Following his impressive performances, Naylor built a reputation as a bright and upcoming talent and began to attract attention from teams further up the football pyramid. He earned a move to Championship side Derby in November 2011, which was made permanent by then-Rams boss Nigel Clough in January 2012.  Naylor was able to gain more EFL experience over the next couple of years at the likes of Bradford City, Grimsby Town, Newport County and Cambridge United, before joining Burton Albion on loan in January 2015. The 29-year-old was an instant success at the Pirelli Stadium as he helped the Brewers win the League Two title, before signing permanently with the Club. He then went on to score six goals in 41 League One appearances to help Burton Albion win promotion to the Sky Bet Championship for the first time in their history. He played 33 times in the following campaign, scoring three times as the Brewers secured survival in the second tier.  Despite the Brewers suffering relegation from the Championship in the 2017-18 campaign, Naylor was one of the standout performers for Nigel Clough’s side as he netted three times in 33 league games, operating predominately in the engine room.  He was signed by Portsmouth in the summer of 2018 and went on to make just shy of 150 appearances for Pompey in all competitions, scoring 13 goals in that period.  Naylor was ever-present for Portsmouth in the 2020/21 season and enjoyed one of his best individual campaigns at Fratton Park as he scored eight goals in 53 appearances in all competitions.  He made his Latics debut in the season opener at Sunderland, playing a pivotal role in the engine room as Leam Richardson's side lifted the League One title at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.