Villa's Dunne deal still to be finalised

01 September 2009 19:23
The Premier League have asked for more time to ratify the deal even though Villa began submitting the relevant documents before 4pm - an hour before the transfer window formally closed. Villa remain confident Dunne will become their player on a four-year deal after a nine season spell at City after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms. And the Football Association are satisfied with the paperwork presented by Villa. But Villa formally need the approval of the Premier League before they can announce Dunne's capture. Villa had earlier in the day signed West Ham defender James Collins for around £5 million. Dunne's days at Eastlands appeared to be numbered after the arrival of Kolo Toure from Arsenal and then Joleon Lescott from Everton. But his arrival - along with Collins - at Villa Park will provide Martin O'Neill with the kind of experienced centre-back he has been looking for since the retirement of Martin Laursen at the end of last season with a knee injury. O'Neill also allowed Zat Knight to move to Bolton and started the current campaign with only two experienced centre-backs in Curtis Davies and Carlos Cuellar. The need for new blood became even more pressing after Davies started to suffer more regular recurrences of his long standing shoulder problem. He was forced to blood 19-year-old Ciaran Clark alongside Cuellar in Sunday's 2-0 home success over Fulham. Villa agreed a fee last week with City for Dunne but the deal dragged on past the weekend because the player wanted to sort out financial issues relating to the remaining three years of his contract. Dunne would have been entitled to a testimonial next summer when he would have completed a decade of service at City. Now the 29-year-old looks set to make his Villa debut in the Second City derby with Birmingham at St Andrews on September 13. It is the sort of battle that Dunne will relish and he has been sent off a record-equalling eight times in the Premier League alongside Patrick Vieira and Duncan Ferguson. He joined Everton as a schoolboy and was handed his debut as a 16-year-old by the then Toffees boss Joe Royle in 1995. Dunne made a £3 million switch to City in 2000, was made club captain in succession to Sylvain Distin in 2006 and was voted the club's Player Of The Year for four seasons running from 2004-2005 to 2007-2008. Dunne signed a new four-year deal with City last summer, but it became apparent with the signing of Toure and Lescott that he would struggle to retain a first team spot.

Source: Team_Talk