This from the Press Association:
'Aston Villa have signed Cameroon midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba from fellow Premier League club Manchester United for £1.35 million ($2.54 million). The 23-year-old had a medical on Monday before signing a 4-1/2-year contract, the club said on its website. Further payments up to £500,000 will be based on appearances.'
United paid Nantes £3.5 million in July 2003 so we have taken a £2 million hit on the fee alone regardless of the wages he has picked up yet apart from Villa Portsmouth and Birmingham were also after his signature.
This from Sky:
"For me, it's a very good move because now I have the opportunity to play every week," the Cameroon international told Sky Sports News.
"Villa are a big club with a big history, and good young players so it's good for me. I like only to play. At Old Trafford or here. For me, it's to play football; if I'm not playing, it's not good. I know [Birmingham were interested]. But there's young players here and a big history so, in my country, they are known more there than Birmingham. I prefer here because they play good football. Some friends they tell me more about the team so, for me, it's very important."
Pig-face O'Leary was delighted to have made some progress during the transfer window after losing out on the likes of Salif Diao, who joined local rivals Birmingham.
"It's been done nice and quietly," he told Sky Sports News. "I'm very grateful to Manchester United and to Sir Alex Ferguson for their help and recommending us to the player as well, when they decided to let him go. It's been no secret we need players in here and we had to do it within a certain budget. I'm delighted. I think it's good value for the money we've got him for. For a lad of 23 years of age, he will be a good player for Aston Villa for many years to come."
Since when have we been helping out Villa? And why has Stevie Bruce not able to pull the same strings as O'Leary?
But there is more Portsmouth were also in for the player too:
Milan Mandaric has told his club's website that he too had made a bid for Djemba Djemba:
''It makes you weary and angry, We made a very good offer to Manchester United and they accepted which made us very hopeful of concluding a deal. 'We can't have done more than we did to bring his kind of quality here but it was fair enough when he opted to stay and fight for his place. Now I hear he is on his way to Aston Villa and that angers me. It is very frustrating.''
Hmmm any chance of checking which agents were involved with this deal? Is the reported figure the only money that has passed out of Villa's bank account?