Pompey clinch Williamson deal

01 September 2009 18:22
Portsmouth have concluded a deal to sign defender Mike Williamson from Watford for an undisclosed fee. Williamson, who has put pen to paper of a four-year deal, is the second central defender to move to Fratton Park on transfer deadline day following the earlier arrival, subject to a work permit, of Tal Ben-Haim from Manchester City. "He's a young, hungry centre-half, a big lad who's uncompromising and does the basics first," Pompey manager Paul Hart explained. "We've watched him play and he's shown great promise which hopefully he will build on under our guidance." The move caps a remarkable rise for Williamson, who was playing in League Two with Wycombe until joining the Hornets in January. He infuriated Watford boss Malky Mackay last week after handing in a transfer request and then claiming he was unfit to travel to Swansea for their game on Saturday. Hart believes the arrival of Williamson will provide some much-needed strength in depth in his defensive ranks. "We were a centre-half short before Sylvain Distin left but now we have Tal Ben-Haim and Mike Williamson," he continued. "We signed Ben-Haim to fill a role and Mike has come here to prove himself as a front-line player." Williamson, who began his career at Torquay before joining Southampton, moved to Watford from Wycombe in January and went on to score three times in 23 appearances for the Hornets.

Source: Eurosport