Andreas Granqvist becomes Chris Hutchings' 4th signing

The club has confirmed that 22 year old Swedish international defender Andreas Granqvist has signed a two year deal from Helsingborgs for an undisclosed fee.

He becomes the 4th signing of the Chris Hutchings era, quickly following the capture of Titus Bramble, Antoine Sibierski and Mario Melchiot.

A club delegation, led by Chief Executive Brenda Spencer, travelled to Copenhagen this morning to tie up the deal with Granqvist and his representatives.

The 6ft 3inch centre half was on loan at Latics from January and made one appearance, in the FA Cup 3rd round game at Portsmouth.

He impressed manager Chris Hutchings during his time at the club, who says he is delighted to tie up the deal for a player with a big reputation back home. "There was a lot of interest in Andreas," he said, "which is why I wanted to get this done quickly. Andreas has got bags of potential and I think he has the ability to make a real impact in the Premiership.

"He's good technically, he's strong and powerful and has pace, now it's up to us to make sure we harness that potential and turn him into a Premier League regular.

Granqvist said: "To play in England has always been a dream for me, and I am thrilled to have sorted out the move. I really like the atmosphere at the club and I feel I learned a lot from being involved last season.

"I feel I can now push and challenge for a regular first team place next season. I get on really well with the manager and I am very optimistic about the future now. I can't wait to get back and start challenging for my place."