Greater Manchester side Wigan Athletic have announced yet another summer signing with the arrival of 22-year-old Dara Costelloe.
Not only is he the fourth acquisition of the transfer window so far, but the now ex-Burnley prospect is the third new forward picked up by Wigan ahead of the 2025/26 season.
The Irish striker, who started out in the youth academy at Galway United before breaking into the senior team and being bought by the Clarets, has spent the last couple of years on loan, representing five different clubs since 2023.
Having most recently been at Northampton Town, scoring six times in 15 games, he finished the previous campaign with a total of a dozen goal involvements from 36 appearances – a direct contribution in nearly every other game. Now he’ll be tasked with finding similar success with another League One outfit.
𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙏𝙞𝙘! 💙
The exciting striker arrives from Burnley on a three-year deal, with the option of a further year! 🤝#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/9VzrqDR5uL
Commenting on the move, the youngster said in an official club statement: “I’m delighted to get the move over the line. It’s been a great day for me and my family – I brought my Dad over with me, and having seen the stadium, we definitely made the right choice.
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“It is a great Club, and I cannot wait to get started. I’ve spoken to the Gaffer [Ryan Lowe] for quite a bit, and the plan that was outlined is to get this Club back to the Championship. That’s my ambition as well, so we’ll try to achieve that.
“I’ve seen the strikers the Gaffer has worked with, and how he’s helped progress their careers. Hopefully, he can do the same with me.”
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As a retired forward himself, the strikers Costelloe is referring to include Southampton’s Cameron Archer, fellow Irishman and ex-Spurs graduate Troy Parrott, as well as former Man City, Ipswich and now Chelsea marksman, Liam Delap, who was on the radar of several teams this summer.
Speaking of Lowe, the Latics head coach confessed, “Dara is a forward who I have admired for some time, and I’m delighted he’s decided to come to us. [He] has all the attributes we are seeking in a new signing – and is hungry, ambitious, and wanting to improve.
“He is a real threat in the final third, and already has experience at this level following his successful spell at Northampton last season.
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“Dara adds to the attacking options we have at [Wigan], and we’re looking forward to working with him and helping him to develop his game further. It enables us to have some really healthy competition in the striking department, which will spur each of the lads on throughout the season.
Not only is it usually reassuring to hear when a manager secures a talent they’ve been keen on for a while (the assumption being that they’ve done their due diligence and the player has been well scouted), but it says a lot about the 46-year-old’s ambition for this season by picking up three new attackers.
Snatching his permanent signature from a division rival is a nice bonus, too.
Wigan didn’t score enough goals in 24/25, simple as – finishing in 15th on minus two goal difference after registering just 40; that being said, the signing of Dara Costelloe, Christian Saydee, and most notably, prolific English forward, Paul Mullin, should help bolster those numbers to kick off this new era.
There’s certainly plenty of excitement surrounding the Wrexham hero on loan for the season.
Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
Andy Aspinall issues update on Tom’s eye poke injury and calls for changes in the UFC
Danny Jones
Andy Aspinall – father of Manc martial artist Tom Aspinall – has shared a lengthy video interview on his son’s YouTube channel discussing the latest regarding his son’s eye injury.
More importantly, as a concerned parent, he’s also called for better safeguarding and/or tighter rules in the UFC regarding fouls and, in particular, eye poking.
In case you missed it, this past weekend, the Greater Manchester MMA star took on French fighter Ciryl Gane in his first title defence since being named the undisputed heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, the main event match had to be cut short after Aspinall was left unable to see following an eye poke.
Although this is an illegal move in the sport, not only could it not be proved whether it was accidental or perhaps even intentional, as some have speculated on social media, but the only outcome was for the bout to end in a no-contest. Updating fans online, Andy reiterated priorities, dubbing this “just a job”.
🚨BREAKING🚨
Tom Aspinall “𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝘾𝘼𝙉’𝙏 𝙎𝙀𝙀” out of his right eye following Ciryl Gane’s double eye poke at UFC 321, his dad Andy has revealed 😳
“His right eye, he still can't see anything.He said it's just grey.
As you can see in the main clip above, Andy says that the Atherton-born fighter still “can’t see anything” out of his right eye, describing his sight as little more than “just grey”; meanwhile, his left eye is said to be at roughly 50% vision, having struggled to get more than a few rows down on a Snellen chart.
Essentially, the short version is that after the pain of the controversial eye poke, the muscles in his eye still aren’t healed and will be going for even more eye tests, including an eye test.
However, arguably the most salient points to take away from the video were those regarding his son’s overall welfare and the safety of the sport, as it is clear that Andy was talking chiefly as an understandably worried father rather than his coach.
“For me, everything is about his health. It’s not about the fighting – that’s just what he chose to do as a job”, he says, also clarifying that he isn’t accusing Gane of any ill intent, personally, and that the referees need to have more powers when it comes to fouling.
He also reminded those watching that the Wigan native has a wife and three kids to think about, stating, “This is just a job that he’s doing at this period in time, and he’ll do another job”, before going on to add, “What [will] it take?” for the UFC to get stricter around fouls like these.
You can watch the most recent update on Tom Aspinall from his dad, Andy, in full down below.
Andy Aspinall also had plenty to say in terms of what the UFC can do to better protect fighters/improve the rules.
Andy also made a point of suggesting once again that Tom should maybe turn to boxing instead of MMA, not only because of the added safety measures but because of the bigger paydays.
Do you think the UFC needs to be more stringent when it comes to not only protecting its fighters but also the rules and punishments surrounding serious fouls, such as eye pokes?
AND, alternatively, do you think Tom Aspinall would be well-suited to a boxing ring?
In the immediate aftermath of the injury, he was the first to admit that “this is a dangerous f***ing sport”; whether or not coming this close to permanent damage has made him reconsider, only time will tell.
Danny Jones -
26th June 2025 
