 He committed his future to Wigan in May 2008 when he signed a new contract, tying him to the club until 2012.On 22 November 2009, Kirkland conceded nine goals in a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.Sunderland manager Steve Bruce – Kirkland's former manager at Wigan from November 2007 to June 2009 – was linked with a move for Kirkland in January 2010, but said that "talk of me bidding £5m for Chris Kirkland is garbage, but he is a very good goalkeeper, and I'm a big, big admirer of him".