Wigan sign Scotland star Maloney

Aug 31, 2011, 20:31 GMT

London - Wigan Athletic on Wednesday completed the signing of Scotland forward Shaun Maloney from Celtic on an initial two-year deal.

The 28-year-old moves for a fee of around 1 million pounds (1.6 million dollars).

'We're delighted to welcome Shaun, who has great experience and is at the perfect age to come and bring something different to our squad,' said manager Roberto Martinez.

'His previous experience in the Premier League (at Aston Villa) will be a great platform to start his Wigan Athletic career,' he added.

'Now we want to make sure he enjoys that homely feeling at our football club to be able to bring his magic to our strong group of players.'

Maloney is relishing the prospect. 'As soon as I found out about the move I got excited,' he said. 'The gaffer likes to play the right way and there's a tremendous squad here full of great potential.

'I need to focus on winning a place in the team and doing the best I can for the team. I want to thank everyone at Celtic which has been my life for so long now, and especially all the fans.

'But I've got an exciting challenge now and I can't wait to get started.'

The Chelsea defender Patrick van Aanholt has also arrived at Wigan on a season-long loan.

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