Source: Telegraph
Aston Villa conclude £6m Richard Dunne deal at the death
A fraught transfer deadline day for Aston Villa ended yesterday with the last second acquisition of Manchester City's Richard Dunne, although the deal had still not been approved by the Premier League last night.[LNB]The defender concluded talks — ongoing since last week — with just minutes of the transfer window remaining, joining James Collins, who had signed from West Ham earlier in the day, at Villa Park. The Football Association cleared the move, but Villa could not confirm his arrival, for an undisclosed fee believed to be £6 million, as the Premier League was expected to ratify the deal on Wednesday morning.[LNB] Related ArticlesVilla thriving without Barry, says PetrovWest Ham sign Da Costa, sell Savio and CollinsAston Villa must stay calmO'Neill hurt by Aston Villa's exitWarnock seals £8m Villa dealSport on televisionTransfer deadline day had begun relatively simply at Villa, with Collins passing a medical and agreeing personal terms by early afternoon, but negotiations with Dunne were slow as the defender sought a compromise with City over the terms of his departure.[LNB] Dunne's signing is something of an about-face, for he was at no point this summer regarded as the first choice replacement for the retired Martin Laursen — O'Neill initially dismissed the 29-year-old as too inconsistent. However, Zat Knight's sale to Bolton and Curtis Davies' recurring shoulder injury had left Carlos Cuellar the only established central defender in the squad, and O'Neill was encouraged to look beyond Dunne's defensive gaffes. 'He is just the kind of person we are looking for,' said the Villa manager.[LNB]Villa's move for Collins, the 26-year-old Welsh international who has signed for a fee believed to be £5 million, was more straight-forward. 'It's been a mad 24 hours since coming up here but I'm delighted to have it all sorted,' he said. 'I loved my time at West Ham but I have taken a step forward. I have come to Villa to improve as a player and hopefully improve their team.'[LNB]After travelling to Portsmouth for talks about joining on a season-long loan, meanwhile, Nicky Shorey decided to remain at Villa, having failed to secure assurances of first team football on the South Coast.[LNB]
