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| Jimmy Bullard |
| Position |
Midfielder |
| DOB |
02/ 09/ 1978 |
| P.O.B. |
Chelmsford |
| Height |
5'10" |
| Club |
Wigan |
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Fulham manager Chris Coleman is reported to be in talks with Wigan Athletic midfielder Jimmy Bullard.
Bullard has been one of the success stories of an impressive debut Premiership season for Wigan and, as manager Paul Jewell explained, his departure would be a major blow to the club.
"Jimmy's down talking to Fulham at the moment. He had a clause in his contract. I'm really disappointed to lose him, but he's been a fantastic player for us," said a resigned Jewell.
"He's a great lad but had a clause in his contract that he could go for a certain amount of money. That's been exercised by Fulham. People will ask us questions about why this clause is in the contract but we didn't want to put it in. He was out of contract this year and insisted, well his agent said, if he was going to sign a new deal, there had to be a clause in it. So our hands were tied a little bit. I'm very disappointed, he's been a fantastic player for us and I wish him good luck."
Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed has handed manager Chris Coleman his biggest kitty yet, thought to be around £6m, and the Welshman is eager to use the funds to bankroll an approach for the former West Ham player.
"He is a terrific player and hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement," said Coleman. "I don't want to come across as too confident and nothing has been agreed as yet.
"I'm one of many who admire Jimmy Bullard. We saw how good he is when Wigan played us on Monday night. He's a player we like. I'm only mentioning his name because we've already talked to Paul. Jimmy is a very good player and I don't think Wigan want to let him go. If a player wants to leave then it's difficult to hold on to him, although I'm not saying Jimmy wants to leave."
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Bullard started his career in non-league football with Gravesend & Northfleet before being signed by West Ham United in 1999 for a fee of £30,0000.
But after failing to make the grade at Upton Park he was granted a free transfer at the end of the 2000/01.
Bullard immediately went for a three-week trial with Peterborough and in May 2001 he signed a three-year contract at London Road. Posh boss Barry Fry told the club's official website: 'Jimmy is a very talented young player and this is a great signing for Posh as he can play in anywhere in midfield or attack.
'He has great ability and energy and Jimmy fits into our set-up like a glove with him being the right kind of age and possessing the talents of a good footballer.' He made his professional debut in a goalless draw at Swindon Town and soon made a place in the Posh midfield his own.
Bullard grabbed 11 goals in his first season at London Road. And it would be his only full season with the club as Wigan splashed out £275,000 in January 2003. He played 77 games, scoring 14 goals. The player's Wigan debut came in a goalless draw at home to Cheltenham Town. And his performances over the remainder of the campaign were impressive as the Latics took the Second Division title.
He scored his first goal at the end of the campaign in a 3-1 home victory over Oldham Athletic. Bullard proved to be a superb player for Wigan in the Championship, making himself a certainty in the starting line-up. The player was in top form as the club booked a place in the Premiership for 2005/06.
Full of running and energy, Bullard's passing range and vision was a feature of the promotion campaign.
source: soccernet
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