Ipswich Town have made midfielder Lee Evans their second signing of the summer.
The 26-year-old will be reunited with Paul Cook at Portman Road, and joins Wes Burns as a new face in Suffolk, the latter having signed from Fleetwood Town yesterday.
Evans played a central role during all three of Cook’s seasons in charge at Wigan, twice being brought in on loan – first from Wolves and then from Sheffield United – before signing permanently in January 2019.
After finishing last season with 24 starts to his name at Wigan, Evans came to the end of his contract and was offered fresh terms by boss Leam Richardson under the Lancashire club's new owners.
But he's decided to head to Suffolk, and will officially become a Town player on July 1, having signed a three-year deal.
"This is a huge football club and it’s a massive honour to be here. It’s been a great day for me, signing for a club like this and I’m already looking forward to pre-season," Evans told iFollow Ipswich.
"I’ve had a few chats with the manager and he expressed his desire to bring me in. It’s an exciting move for me and having seen the club today, with the facilities, I can’t wait to get going.
"I’ve played for the manager before and he has shown a lot of faith in me in bringing me here in a season when there is only one aim and that is to get promoted. That’s a big compliment to me and I can’t thank him enough.
"Hopefully I will be part of a successful team because that’s what everyone associated with Ipswich wants."
Asked how big the draw of reconnecting with his old manager was, he said: "Really big. The manager and the coaching staff have all been expressing that they want me to join.
"I don’t think the Ipswich Town fans have seen the best of him (Cook) yet. He makes your role pretty easy, he makes you know what he wants from each player and each position. He expects high standards and that’s what we’re going to need this season.
"I’m delighted. I’m really happy to get the contract all sorted and now I’m looking forward to the start of pre-season."
Evans also revealed that new CEO Mark Ashton sold him on his vision for the club.
"He outlined his vision for the football club," Evans explained.
"He’s obviously a man with great experience with what he built at Bristol City especially and how he’s left it in a completely different state to when he took over. I’m sure he’s got the same vision for this football club.
"He’s explained to me about the ambition of the owners, through to him and the manager; everyone is on the same wavelength.
"I'm a player who will just give his all, a player who likes to get the ball down and play. That’s how the manager likes to play, I know that already.
"I want to play as many football matches as possible. I’ve come in here knowing we’re going to have a good squad so I need to be bang at it at the start of pre-season to make sure I’m in the team for the first game of the season and then the jersey is yours to lose."
The four-cap Welsh international has been part of several successful seasons during his career.
After helping Newport County get promoted to the Football League in 2013, he went on to be a part of the Wolves side that secured the League One title in impressive fashion (13/14) before finishing seventh in the Championship.
He subsequently joined Bradford on loan, helping them secure a League One play-off place in 2016.
In all, Evans has played 270 games in his career to date, netting 20 goals.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here