Bramble close to new deal

15 May 2009 15:26
Titus Bramble has revealed that he is close to signing a new contract with Wigan Athletic. The 27-year-old has rebuilt his reputation at the JJB Stadium in the last two seasons since he joined from Newcastle United in July 2007. The defender's form has improved so much so that even an England call-up was mooted earlier on in the season. The former Ipswich Town youngster is delighted to be nearing the end of the negotiations with the deal expected to be finalised next week. "I think the new contract is almost finalised," he told the Evening Post. "Fingers crossed it will get signed in the next week or so. I'm happy here because I'm playing week in, week out. "This is a good club to be at. After being close to getting a European qualifying spot a few weeks ago, maybe we can push for it next season." Better performance Meanwhile Latics manager Steve Bruce was pleased that the performance in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday and declared it was back to the standards he expects of his team. However the defeat meant that Wigan have taken just two wins from their last 16 games but Bruce believes if they give a repeat of the United performance at Stoke on Saturday they can finish the season with a flourish. "We were back to where we should be against Manchester United - I just wish that game had come two or three weeks ago to get us going again," he said. "We've now got two games to go and if we play like we did on Wednesday, our season will not dwindle to a finish that's for sure. "It's going to be a monumental ask to make sure we are ready for Stoke after all the effort we put in against United. "If we can win our last two games and get near the top 10, it will have been a terrific season for a club like ours."

Source: SKY_Sports