Wigan's Iván Ramis provides initial return against West Ham

• Spaniard could have joined Hammers last summer
• Dave Whelan flew out to Mallorca to complete deal

He may be just over four years short of his 80th birthday but to listen to Dave Whelan discussing subjects ranging from big business to dartboards, there is little doubting that the Wigan chairman likes the rush of a good deal. As he has pushed for the club to be more self-sufficient in recent years, the work done by Roberto Martínez over the past three seasons is all the more remarkable.

But after a summer that saw him ridiculed – with even Liverpool's managing director, Ian Ayre, branding him a "comedian" – for speaking publicly about other clubs, including Liverpool and Tottenham, pursuing Martínez, Whelan, who pondered the idea of passing control over to his grandson a year ago, showed his interest and desire have not wavered.

Martínez had put months into a deal to sign the defender Iván Ramis from Real Mallorca and when he found that West Ham had lodged a higher bid, Whelan dipped into his own pocket and even travelled to Spain to ensure the £3m transfer went through.

After a chastening experience, which saw Ramis responsible for his new team conceding two goals in the first eight minutes of the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on the opening weekend, the 28-year-old underlined his emergence as a force in English football with a powerful volley to set Wigan on their way against West Ham.

Martínez, who jokingly dismissed Sam Allardyce's claim that his Spanish connection made the difference in signing Ramis by restating his own Catalan roots, feels indebted to Whelan.

"We couldn't match the valuation of what West Ham agreed with Mallorca and [until] the chairman found the money we didn't have at the football club, that moment is a worry that you feel you're going to lose the player," Martínez said.

"But the chairman knew how much we wanted to get the player and he allowed us to match the price. I don't know how big his pockets are but they were big enough on this occasion. Being a football man makes a big difference. He went over to Mallorca and he was really influential in the deal.

"[Ramis] is developing his communication skills quickly and he's a leader. It's a really important signing for us. He's been one of the best defenders in Spain for three or four years."

Wigan's run of seven wins in nine, which included victories against Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle that took Martínez's side to safety last season, had begun to seem like a distant memory.

But after the opener from Ramis and a goal from the Scotland midfielder James McArthur, who drove in from Shaun Maloney's lay-off, earned a first home win of the season, West Ham's James Tomkins headed in from George McCartney's cross in added time.

"Everyone thinks we're going to be down there and we want to prove those people wrong," McArthur said. "We want to win as many games as possible – and fast too – to get ourselves away from trouble."

After a fine start to the campaign, West Ham now face a run of matches running into December that includes games against Manchester City, Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea.

While Allardyce insisted the match officials played no part in his team's defeat, he believes Andy Carroll, who is still looking for a first goal since joining from Liverpool, could receive better protection. "Referees aren't giving him enough free kicks when he is manhandled by central defenders who, let's face it, are having a difficult job coping with the quality that he's got," Allardyce said.

*Man of the match* James McCarthy (Wigan Athletic) Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago. Chelsea Headlines on One News Page [United Kingdom]
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