Middlesbrough Football Club News

• Nickname:Boro
• Founded:1876
• Manager:Tony Mowbray

• Ground:Riverside Stadium
• Capacity:35,049

Boro boss praises Yakubu

24 Aug 2007 - 15:38:02

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Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate claims he has no option but to sell Yakubu Ayegbeni after the striker 'had his head turned' by the possibility of playing for Everton.

The Nigeria international striker is set to be unveiled as an Everton player in a club record £11.25million deal in the coming hours.

Southgate had spent the past few weeks attempting to persuade the 24-year-old former Portsmouth hitman that he could fulfil his ambitions on Teesside, but eventually admitted defeat and sanction his sale to the Merseyside club.

"We feel at this moment in time that his head had been turned by the possibility of moving on and I can understand that," said Southgate.

"He is a young lad, he wants to go and do different things and experience different things and I then felt it was the best thing for us to get the best fee we possibly could.

"I have got a lot of time for him. He is a lovely lad. In the end, his head was turned and it looks as though he will be moving on.

"But he was a big player for us, especially last season for me. In the early part of the season, his goals kept us in matches and won us lots of games and I wish him good luck.

"I do not think there is an ounce of malice in his body. He is a really lovely kid and I hope things work out for him as he hopes."