Wigan Athletic have signed their second defender in three days as the club seeks to recover from last season’s relegation.
Newcastle United defender James Perch has joined the club for an undisclosed fee.
Perch signed for Newcastle in July 2010 from Nottingham Forrest and made 81 appearances for the Magpies.
The 27-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the club and will bring a versatility to the squad having been deployed in a variety of defensive and midfield roles during his three years at Newcastle.
“It feels great to be here with a new challenge ahead of me, and I’m very excited at getting that started,” Perch told the club’s website.
“The prospect of helping to get the team promoted was really appealing and I can’t wait to meet the rest of the boys and get started.
“I think Wigan Athletic is a great club and after speaking with the manager, his ambition and determination to take the club back to the Premier League where it belongs is something I wanted to be a part of,” he added.
The signing follows 23-year-old Norway international Thomas Rogne’s arrival from Celtic on a free transfer as well as Chris McCann and Stephan Crainey.
Following the announcement that club Chairman Dave Whelan had purchased a local golf course in order to build a new academy for the club, it appears that relegation has not hampered the Latics’ long-term ambition.
Picture courtesy of Jon Candy, via WikiCommons, with thanks.
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