Oldham Athletic complete double defender signing

Oldham Athletic have signed defenders Carl Piergianni and Sido Jombati, becoming Harry Kewell’s first acquisitions since becoming Lactics manager a day earlier.

Jombati, 32, joins Boundary Park having secured promotion to the Championship with Wycombe Wanderers for the first time in the club’s history last month.

The Portuguese-born right back, who can also operate as a centre half, made 185 appearances for the Chairboys in his six-year spell. However, he only featured 11 times last season. He was released by Wycombe at the end of the season and has penned a one-year-deal with Oldham.

“I’m really excited to have moved up here and joined this club,” Jombati told the club website. “Oldham Athletic is still massive, it has a passionate fanbase and I’m ready to show everyone what I can do out on the pitch.

“I’ve loved the past few years at Wycombe, but now is the right time for me to have a brand new challenge and I believe my previous experiences have made me a stronger character.”

Piergianni, 28, had spent the second half of this season at Oldham on loan from fellow League Two side Salford City, making 11 appearances.

The English centre back had spent three years with the Ammies, where he played 95 matches for the club and scored 13 goals.

He has completed a permanent move to Boundary Park on a two-year-deal.

“I’m delighted to be back,” Piergianni said. “I always had the ambition of coming back to Boundary Park as I like to be fully committed to a club. 

“I didn’t want to go back out on loan or to a different club, I wanted to come into Oldham and become a big part of the squad and pick up where I left off, with the support of the fans who have been amazing with me since I first arrived.”