Aston Villa: Richard Dunne deal latest, Nicky Shorey deal fails
Sep 2 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
VILLA were today confident of receiving official clearance for the Richard Dunne deal to take Martin O’Neill’s summer spending soaring past the £40million mark.
Dunne’s protracted move from Manchester City hit a hitch on deadline day yesterday when the Premier League asked for extra time to ratify the last-minute transfer.
But Villa insist that the £6million switch from Eastlands was started well in advance of the 5pm cut-off point and intend to confirm Dunne as their player later today.
Dunne was at the Bodymoor Heath training ground from midday yesterday and Villa had the Republic of Ireland defender’s signing sanctioned by the Football Association last night.
Villa manager O’Neill is hoping the deal is completed without further complications after a last-gasp double swoop to end the club’s defensive crisis.
He signed James Collins for £5million from West Ham yesterday and, providing the capture of Dunne goes through, Villa will be the biggest deadline-day spenders.
The arrivals of Stewart Downing, Fabian Delph, Habib Beye, Stephen Warnock, Dunne and Collins will also mean they have the top flight’s fourth-largest outlay of the summer.
Having passed a medical and agreed personal terms, the delay with the Dunne deal is believed to have been over problems agreeing a pay-off from Manchester City. The 29-year-old centre-half and the club he has captained in recent seasons and served for nine years eventually reached agreement on a settlement figure.
