Ex-Wigan Athletic star involved in war of words with Roy Keane

After leaving Latics to join Tottenham in 2006, Chimbonda moved on to Sunderland two years later.

However, despite Keane shelling out £3million for his services, the duo didn't get on and Chimonda returned to Spurs the following year.

Keane, on a recent episode of 'the Overlap', admitted the decision to sign Chimbonda had been a mistake.

Chimbonda, however, insists the situation was not entirely his fault.

"When he said, earlier this year, that signing me was a bad choice, I didn't understand it, to be honest,” said Chimbonda, who went to the 2006 World Cup with France while still on Latics' books.

“First of all, he called me to tell me he wanted me to come and play for Sunderland. Why did he do that...if people told him beforehand it might not have been a good idea to sign me?

“You signed me because you know I'm a good footballer and maybe I could've done something special for you at Sunderland.

"Things didn't go how he would have wanted, because obviously he got sacked, you know. And then afterwards, he said he'd made a bad decision in signing me.

“He signed so many players that summer, but he said I was the bad choice. Why only me? I don't understand.

"He signed El Hadji Diouf, he signed Djibril Cisse, he signed Steed Malbranque, he signed Teemu Tainio... he signed so many players, but the one person who has to take the blame is me?”

Chimbonda was speaking at Ladbrokes Fanzone's North London Derby.