Blackburn Rovers chairman John Williams was more than happy to hand Christopher Samba a new five-year deal this week.
"There are times when it is appropriate for the club to be pro-active and we feel Chris Samba fully deserves his new contract," said the Rovers chairman. "It's testament to Chris that he's been rewarded in this way. Mark Hughes values him very, very highly.
Samba was something of an unknown quantity when he completed his cut-price January move from Berlin.
But Hughes was quick to secure the services of the 6ft 5in defender once he recognised Samba's obvious potential during a short trial.
It is not the first time Hughes has picked up a bargain after running his eyes over a player while on trial, and Williams has praised the shrewd manager for his methods.
He told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: "We need to be focusing on these kind of players, although we can't always keep pulling rabbits out of a hat.
"It was a terrific bit of business when we brought Chris to the club.
"Mark very much likes bringing players to the club on trial. He believes there's nothing better than seeing them out there for himself on the training ground. He did that with Ryan Nelsen and Aaron Mokoena.
"Going down that route has proved beneficial. Obviously, known players don't like to go out on trial and we know all about them anyway.
"But if there are players that we are not sure about, or those that are relatively new, then we will try to persuade them to come on trial."
