Source: Daily_Mail
Richard Dunne deal in extra time - but James Collins completes Villa move
Aston Villa were given dispensation to complete a £5million deal for Richard Dunne as negotiations over his departure from Manchester City rumbled on past the 5pm deadline.
Villa had earlier finalised another £5m deal for West Ham defender James Collins but Dunne was still chasing a £1m pay-off from City which at one stage put the transfer in doubt.
However, under Premier League rules, Villa were able to continue trying to sign Dunne provided they started formal proceedings to tie up the deal by the 5pm cut-off.
Richard Dunne
James Collins
Dunne deals: Aston Villa have bagged Richard Dunne (L) and James Collins (R)
Dunne had passed a medical and settled personal terms with Villa after the clubs agreed a fee before the weekend. But the Ireland defender wanted compensation for giving up a testimonial at City next summer.
He did not ask to leave City and still had three years left on his £55,000-a-week contract. It is believed the initial offer made by City fell well short of what Dunne felt was a reasonable figure.
A source close to the player said: ‘Richard believes the initial offer he received from Manchester City was not befitting someone who had given nine years’ service.’
Collins, however, revealed that he jumped at the chance to move to Villa Park. The Wales defender, who has made 28 appearances for his country, signed a four-year contract after a frantic 24 hours.
The 26-year-old former Cardiff City centre half said: ‘It’s great to have made the move. I am delighted to have had it all sorted and I can’t wait to get cracking.
‘The manager didn’t have to be very persuasive. Villa are a massive club so it didn't take a lot of persuading. I am just grateful that he wanted me.
‘I loved my time at West Ham but I just feel that this is a move forward for me.
'Hopefully, I can improve as a player and help to improve the Villa team.’
Meanwhile, Dunne’s former City team-mate Martin Petrov was left disappointed after his transfer to Tottenham fell through. Petrov seemed set for a move to London, with Spurs’ David Bentley moving in the opposite direction on loan, but the deal broke down when Tottenham sought to make Bentley’s move permanent.
Petrov’s agent Luchezar Tanev said: ‘I can say that Martin wanted to join Tottenham.
'You see that he has some problems at City and that’s why he decided to look elsewhere and Spurs made an offer for him. But it’s not the end of the world. He has one year of his contract left and we’ll see after that.’
