Mellish loaned from Wigan to help ease MK Dons' full-back shortage
MK Dons have completed the loan signing of Wigan Athletic’s Jon Mellish
Wigan Athletic defender Jon Mellish hopes he can help add to MK Dons’ push for promotion after signing a season-long loan deal with the club.
The 27-year-old full-back can also play at centre-back and in midfield, but is likely to feature as a full-back, with Paul Warne having highlighted the wide areas as essential to bolster before the window closes.
Mellish joined the Latics last January from Carlisle United, where he made his name in the EFL as a goal-scoring midfielder-turned-defender, playing more than 200 times for the Cumbrians.
Despite making two appearances for Wigan in League One this season, Mellish joins as Dons’ first loan capture of the season.
After speaking with Warne, Mellish said the close-knit atmosphere at Stadium MK was one which was key in bringing him to the club.
“I felt quite comfortable coming in,” he said. “I think it's a really good club, a family club, and speaking to the gaffer, that was one of his main things, that family side of things aligned with me straight away.
“We’ve had a couple of phone calls, and straight away I had a good feeling, and that was one of the main reasons why I came, to have a good connection with the manager.
“There are a lot of things I can bring to the team, and experience I hope can push us that bit more this season.
“I’m excited, the way I like to play is quite aggressive, so hopefully that’ll get the fans going, we want to be winning games, simple as that. I’m quite an ambitious person, and I want to succeed.”
On what Mellish will bring to his side, Warne said: “It’s good to have Jon at the club, a player that we’ve liked for a long period.
“He’s played against my teams before and has always been excellent; he’s also played in a few different positions. I like him as a left-back too; he’s a perfect fit.
“He’s athletic, clean with the ball; a winner, he’s had a promotion. He can score goals off set pieces and play higher up the pitch. I like players who can bring some real value to the squad.
“He’s going to be a good fit and I look forward to watching him being involved at the weekend.”