De Vos Joins Royle Family

"By the time I was offered a deal in February, I had decided I wanted to keep my options open although there was still the chance I may stay at the JJB. I had the two-year offer to stay at Wigan but didn't feel the deal was right and that we were never going to come to an agreement.

"Several other clubs had registered an interest too and since the end of the season I've spoken to a few of these and in the end I decided that Ipswich was the one for me.

"The deal offered at Portman Road wasn't the most lucrative I had but having visited the place and had a look round, it just had the right feel about it. The fact it's a three-year deal is great because it is very likely this will be my last contract before moving back to Canada, as my wife and I have decided that we want to take our daughter back to be schooled over there.

"The facilities at Ipswich are fantastic and it also seems a really nice part of the world to live in. If I was going to move somewhere, it was important that I felt my family could be happy there and, as I said, the place felt right and I am now really excited about my prospects for the future."

"I've had a great time here and will always be grateful to Paul Jewell and the club for giving me the chance to re-establish myself in English football. Some clubs shy away from signing from the Scottish Premier League if it's not from Rangers or Celtic, but Wigan gave me the opportunity and I'm proud to have been captain through one of the most successful spells in the club's history.

"Last season was fantastic and I will never ever forget how special it was. To get a hundred points and only lose four games was a brilliant achievement and we had such a great confidence within the club that it made us very hard to play against. Lifting the Championship trophy at the JJB after the game against Barnsley will definitely be one of the highlights of my career.

"Last season was also memorable and though we were all devastated with how it ended, it once again demonstrated that the club is moving in the right direction. I hope that continues and I have no doubt that the players I leave here will be pushing for promotion once again next year. It will be odd to come back to the JJB as an opposing player, but it is something I will really look forward to.

"I will never have a bad word to say about this place as the people are great, right through from the Chairman, down to the office staff and then everyone on the playing side of things. I have made many friends and will always look forward to coming back.

"I'd also like to thank the club's supporters for everything they've contributed to my time here too. We all know that outsiders like to give them stick saying that there's not enough of them and stuff like that, but my experience is that those that do come really are fantastic. They always got behind me individually and the team as a whole, and that's all you can ask them for as a player. There commitment is second to none and they have played an important part in the club's recent success.

"I will always be very fond of Wigan the town and Wigan Athletic the football club, wherever my career takes me from now on. I have many, many happy memories and I hope that in years to come I can look back on Wigan as a Premiership club and proudly think to myself that I played just a small part in helping to get the club into the top flight, where I feel it is destined to be."

Meanwhile Town boss Joe Royle said: "I'm delighted Jason decided to join us. He is a strong, outstanding centre-half who will keep our goals against to a minimum.

"He's also a threat from set-pieces and it's a strong statement of intent from this club. We are not satisfied with fifth place in the table and we will be going all out to finish in the top two next season."