Despite Lescott, 27, agreeing personal terms and passing a medical in Manchester on Monday, City were forced to hold further talks with the player’s representatives before finally wrapping up the transfer on Tuesday evening.
The England defender has agreed a five-year contract worth £90,000 a week at Eastlands and he could make his debut in the Premier League encounter with Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Sunday.
City had hoped to unveil Lescott officially at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, but talks relating to fees owed as a result of negotiations resulted in the planned unveiling being shelved.
This has clearly gone to the papers today before City have made an official announcement, so I'm sure that when Daniel Taylor / Ian Herbert / Ian Ladyman's articles all go up we'll hear more about it. But at least the hitch has been ironed out.
UPDATE: Not Daniel Taylor but Andy Hunter in the Guardian has a very similar piece:
Manchester City took their summer spending to a staggering £120m tonight when they resolved a late hitch over Joleon Lescott's protracted move from Everton to add the England international to their ranks for an initial £22m.
The 27-year-old has signed a five-year contract worth £90,000-a-week with City, having passed a medical on Monday afternoon only for the deal to be put on hold for 24 hours due to a dispute over payments owed to the defender's representatives. A further round of talks broke the impasse this evening and Lescott could make his debut for Mark Hughes' team against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Sunday.
We can all relax now.
6 comments:
The Telegraph's jumped the gun - Lescott's at City now - they have just ordered pizza's as they are still thrashing it out!
I think City should have walked away from this one a long time ago. While I'm sure Lescott will help strengthen our defense, the final price is way, way, way, too high.
I realize Dunne's loss of form over the pass 12 months has been a huge cause for alarm, I still don't see the need to spend this amount of money on Lescott when we have proven talent in Onouha and Kompany (when he returns from injury). I'd wager the constant media circus hasn't done Dunne any favors with his confidence. Onouha should have been given the starting position next to Toure with Sparky trying to push Dunne to win his place back.
The bottom line is that when City's second offer for Lescott was refused we should have immediately walked away. I have a hard time believing there aren't other EPL defenders who are just as good as Lescott and don't cost a fortune (Upson for example).
I would expect there will the added pressure for Lescott to justify his price tag. I'm quite an admirer of Hughes but this one just doesn't sit well with me. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he feels Lescott is strong in character and thus his doggedness in signing him. Still, it leaves me wondering what happened to our principle of not being held ransom, because ransom is the word that easy apples to this transfer saga and then some. A good signing yes, but a good piece of business? Really?
"easy apples" should have actually read "easily applies". So much for proof reading eh?
times reporting it aswell
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_city/article6810045.ece
i think the deal makes sense for city, we didnt raise our deal much beyond what we aniticapted, it is at the high end of our spectrum. We have to expect to pay over the odds, if we want the quality and we want it now, nearing the end of the window ! Lescott is a better player than upson, and is a quality addition to the side, adding the much needed left sided centre half role! His value to city could be alot more than 24 million, it could be difference between top6 and top4. I'm not saying he is the catalyst, merely that he goes some way to completeing a picture. His addition creates balance and competion at the back.
Im worrying myself here- im thinking more about which pizza company City would use than about the Lescott deal itself
It was Domino's - five 12" ones it looked like!
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