151 Premier League appearance star spotted at Newcastle United & Everton breaks silence on free transfer

The 33-year-old defender, who was released by Newcastle over the summer, came off the bench to make his Wigan Athletic debut on Saturday. It came a day after he signed for Wigan on a short-term deal as a free agent.

Dummett came on in the 83rd minute in Wigan’s 1-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers at the DW Stadium. He spent over a decade as part of Newcastle’s first team, making over 200 appearances for his boyhood club after graduating from the academy.

Other than loan spells at Gateshead and St Mirren as a youngster, Dummett had not represented a club other than Newcastle before joining Wigan to provide a defensive option.

Following his debut, Dummett told the Wigan club website: “It’s a big club with a lot of history and it’s been in the Premier League before. When I got the call it was a no brainer for me to want to come down here and play, he said.

"It’s been a weird summer for me being at Newcastle for so many years and it’s been strange being without a club.

"When I came down I did have some other offers, but I knew it was the decision I wanted to make and I wanted to sign for Wigan."

Dummett was understood to have held talks with Championship side Portsmouth over the summer but a deal did not materialise. The defender was also given access to the Newcastle training ground to work on his fitness while out of contract.

He also continued to attend first-team matches and was even spotted in the away end at Everton last month alongside current Newcastle goalkeeper Mark Gillespie. But a move to Wigan finally came about with the influence of Newcastle coach and former Latics striker Graeme Jones.

"I did speak to him before I came here,” Dummett added. "I believe people from Wigan spoke to Graeme Jones about me prior to me coming here so he must’ve said some wonderful things for me to be stood here now!"

Reflecting on his debut for Wigan, Dummett continued: “It was nice to pull on the shirt, but unfortunately we didn't get the result. The second half there were no faults up until the six-yard box, we just couldn't finish our chances, he concluded.

"The first half we showed a lack of intent, but the second half was much better."