Rams raid Wigan for Teale

Derby have signed Scotland winger Gary Teale from Wigan for £600,000 (€902,000).

Teale, who was in the last year of his contract with the Latics, has put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal with the promotion-chasing Rams.

Teale becomes boss Billy Davies’ fourth signing this month after spending £1m (€1.5m) on David Jones from Manchester United, £750,000 on Craig Fagan from Hull and another £750,000 (€1.1m) on Stephen Pearson from Celtic.

Wigan manager Paul Jewell, who has also sold defender David Wright to Ipswich and let goalkeeper Mike Pollitt join Burnley on loan today, believes Teale's departure represents "good business".

“Tealey has been with me since my first season at Wigan,” said Jewell, who signed the 28-year-old from Ayr for £275,000 (€413,000) in December 2001.

“I’ve seen him grow as a player. He’s gone from a raw potential talent into a full international and he played a large role in helping us to get where we are today. This season one or two niggling injuries have hampered his run in the team, and I have plenty of options on the right side of midfield.

“Gary is the sort of player who just buckles down, gets on with his job quietly and never complains if he’s out of the team. I feel he deserves the chance of permanent first team football, which hopefully he will get at Derby.

“He has experience of two promotion campaigns with us, and I hope he can make his mark at Derby, as he has done with us.

“Gary is out of contract in the summer and we faced the possibility of him walking way for nothing, so we feel this is a great piece of business for both clubs.”