Chimbonda Stays Til 2009

Pascal Chimbonda has signed a new contract at Wigan only six months after joining!

The right back has signed a 4 year deal which will secure his services until the summer of 2009. The club have also stated that there is no release clause should Wigan be approached for the player.

Chimbonda told the official site: 'The move to Wigan and the Premiership has gone really well for me. It was always a dream for me to play in England and so far things are going fantastically. I had no hesitation in signing this new deal. Paul Jewell and Mr Whelan showed great faith in me when they brought me here and I'm delighted to repay that faith by committing myself to Wigan Athletic. There was never a chance of me leaving in January. I've settled in here better than I could ever have expected. The manager, the chairman, the players and the supporters have been brilliant and I'm really enjoying being part of this great adventure. I've got some great friends here now.'

Adding 'The Premiership has been as tough as I expected and as tough as people told me it would be. We've had to work very hard to get the points we've got, I'm sure there are even tougher times ahead but we are a team here and we'll face those challenges together.' and always a crowd pleaser, he says 'I'd like to reserve special thanks for the Wigan supporters who have been so good to me. I've never known support as passionate as this and they have played a big part in me feeling at home at this club. I hope to repay them by playing well for the rest of the season and for many more to come.'

Paul Jewell said there was 'never any danger' of the player being old before adding: 'He's a unique character, I don't think I've ever worked with anyone quite like him before, wearing gloves in September and all that and I'm told the tights are on their way. But he's very serious about his football and so are we and behind the big smile there's an intelligent footballer with a steely determination to win. That's what I like in players.'