Having finished in the top six for each of the past three season, Wigan suffered something of a slump under former player Paul Jewell, finishing tenth. Jewell spent heavily in the summer in an attempt to build a squad capable of gaining promotion.
Defender Arjan de Zeeuw was named Wigan's player of the season for the second season running. At the end of the season, he left on a free transfer to join First Division Portsmouth.