What a mess at Oldham

Paul Jewell has resigned as Oldham Athletic assistant manager, just over a month after he arrived at the club.

Jewell was brought in by boss Richie Wellens to work alongside him at the end of November, but Jewell has now decided to leave his position.

Some supporters pointed blame at Jewell for the club's current poor run of form , with the team winning just one of their seven league games since he joined.

It was Jewell's first role in football since he was Tony Pulis' assistant manager at West Brom back in 2015. The 53-year-old had previously been in charge of the likes of Wigan Athletic, Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Ipswich Town during his managerial career.

Meanwhile, it looks set to be yet another busy transfer window for Latics , with a number of comings and goings expected over the next few weeks.

Oldham confirmed on Wednesday that the loan group of Eoin Doyle, Jack Byrne, Kean Bryan, Ben Wilson and Jack Ruddy have all returned to their parent clubs following the conclusion of their current loan spells.

While they may have returned for the time being, Oldham boss Richie Wellens is still keen to strike new loan deals to have the likes of Doyle, Bryan and Byrne back at Boundary Park, but he faces strong competition from other sides.

Byrne had been eyeing a move to Scottish Premier League side Hearts, but the Tynecastle club are understood to have ended their interest in the 21-year-old, making a potential return to Oldham easier.

Byrne has been one of Oldham's stand-out performers this season, but Wellens recently stated that he had been disappointed with some of the midfielder's latest performances.

Manchester City youngster Bryan is a target for the likes of Sunderland and Fleetwood, while the future of Doyle still remains up in the air due to the bad illness he is currently suffering from.

Doyle is Oldham's top scorer so far this season, having netted 14 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for the side.

In terms of new faces, Latics have been linked with a move for Doyle's Preston North End teammate Ben Pringle, along with Celtic youngster Kundai Benyu.

Pringle can play in either central midfield or left midfield, and arrived at Preston back in 2016 but hasn't featured for the team so far this season.

Kundai Benyu has also been linked to Oldham Athletic
Benyu joined Celtic last summer having previously come through the youth academy at Ipswich Town, but has played in just four games for the Scottish side since arriving.

Two current Latics players may also soon be departing after Craig Davies and Peter Clarke were linked with moves away from the club.

Davies is understood to be a target for League One rivals Portsmouth, who are believed to have made a bid for the striker. Davies has scored 10 goals in 26 appearances for Oldham in all competitions during the current campaign.

Oldham captain Clarke hasn't featured much for the team in recent weeks, making just two appearances since the middle of November, and the defender could make a return to former side Bury.

The 36-year-old joined Latics from Bury back in July 2016, and would be a boost for the bottom of the table Shakers as they try to battle the drop.

Clarke could play alongside former Oldham teammate Connor Ripley, who is also a Bury target. Ripley plays for Middlesbrough, but spent last season on loan at Latics.

i wasnt aware he was there!