And having helped former club Blackburn out of Division One and into the top flight, Mahon sees no reason why the same can't be achieved by Paul Jewell's side.
He told the Evening Post: "If we can get a good run, who knows what can happen?
"I have come here with the intention of getting Wigan promotion. We're not just talking about possibly getting in the play-offs, we can see ourselves catching the top two.
"That is what we're all aiming for and there's no reason why we can't achieve that. Once you've got a lot of a young lads prepared to work hard, that's half the battle won.
"There are some great players here, Jimmy Bullard in the midfield who can play and the two big lads up front.
"It's a strong team here and I'm very confident about our chances of doing well."
Mahon was plunged into the team after just one brief training session with his new colleagues on Friday morning.
His £200,000 move from Blackburn only went through that day, and the 25-year-old admitted it happened quickly.
He said: "I spoke to my agent last week who told me that Wigan had come in.
"I saw what was on the table, spoke to Paul Jewell, and everything seemed right.
"For me it is a great move because it's only down the road and hopefully there will be a big promotion push.
"Although I was back in the Blackburn squad recently, I kind of knew the score.
"I want to play first team football first and foremost, and coming to Wigan allows me to do that.
"This move is basically about football.
"Maybe when I was younger, I moved for other reasons, but I don't want to finish my career and think I haven't played enough games.
"Wigan have given me a great opportunity to come and play and I'm looking forward to the challenge.
"I enjoyed the Ipswich game and it was a great result, moving us up to third place in the table.
"It probably wasn't the best debut in the world I would imagine, but the result was the main thing.
"I only trained with the lads briefly on Friday morning and I don't even know all their names yet.
"Perhaps I didn't contribute an awful lot, but that will change once I settle in."
Mahon has been a long time transfer target of Jewell, who revealed that he first tried to sign him last season.
And the midfielder could be followed into Wigan this week by Southampton full-back Chris Baird.
It is believed a £400,000 fee has been agreed with the Saints for the Northern Ireland international.
Source : Wigan Evening Post.