Steve Bruce was key in Wigan move

January has been a bit of a whirlwind month for me. I´ve done a fair bit of travelling around the country and I´ve spoken to a few of the clubs that were interested in buying me from Crystal Palace.

After speaking to Steve Bruce I knew that Wigan was the right move for me. I signed for them on Monday and I´m delighted to be here. It´s been a crazy few days though – my phone has been ringing non-stop, I´ve been doing a few interviews and I went straight into training with the rest of the lads after signing. I´m loving it though. This is what it´s all about.

Things have calmed down a little bit now though and I´ve got more of a chance to reflect on my move up north. I am staying in a hotel in Wigan at the moment and it´s only about five or ten minutes away from the training ground. I´ve got my laptop with me, so I can watch films and go on the internet when I get back. I haven’t had chance to look around Wigan yet but so far, everyone I´ve met has been lovely. They´ve all been really welcoming. I´m just really excited to be here. I know it’s a cliché but, really, I´m over the moon!!

I won´t go straight into the team for the Liverpool game tonight. After having the groin tear Monday was my first day´s training for six weeks, so I doubt I´ll start against Liverpool and against Aston Villa on Saturday. I´m in the squad though, so maybe I´ll get chance to come on. Hopefully I will make my starting debut next week against Fulham.

Last and not least I´d like to give a mention to everyone at Crystal Palace. I was there for 13 years, which is more than half of my life and I owe the club so much. I played 170 games for Palace and I have made some great friends there over the years. In some ways it was sad to leave Selhurst Park but everyone wants to play on the biggest stage that they can. As I said, I think that the Premier League is the best league in the world and I had to grab the opportunity to play there with both hands. I have got a lot of good memories of Palace and I would like to thank everyone, from the playing staff, to the club, to the fans. Thanks to you all for having me and making the last 13 year so memorable.

I´ll be back a little later in the week with more…

Thanks, Ben