Portsmouth sign former Man City star Distin
Sylvain Distin fired a parting shot at Manchester City's lack of
ambition after Portsmouth's reported £40,000-a-week offer saw off a
late bid by Liverpool to take him to Anfield.
The French centre-back closed the door on a five-year career at
City to sign a three-year deal at Pompey on a free transfer
today.
And the 6ft 4ins defender said: 'After five years at City it was a
tough choice to leave.
'But when I thought it was time for me to go I didn't think they
really tried (to keep me).
'In five years I've seen a lot of good players coming and then
going. Some of the best like Nicolas Anelka and so on. I think if
you want to push for Europe you have to keep your best
players.
'When you play there for five years it is not like when you are a
fan coming to watch every other week. I know them (the club) deep
inside.
'There is talk of a takeover now and maybe things are going to
change but I didn't want to wait any longer. Five years is long
enough.'
Distin, who cost City £4million when he joined them from Paris St
Germain after rejecting the chance to make a one-year loan at
Newcastle permanent, added: 'For me it was important that
Portsmouth have shown their ambition and they have done that.
'This is a club definitely going forward and I am glad to be here.
It reminds me of the old City atmosphere at Maine Road.
'When I came to City, Stuart Pearce was just retiring as a player
and when he became manager he had to learn the job. I had a good
relationship with him but I never really saw the club's
ambition.'
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp, who raided City last summer for
£1.2million goalkeeper David James and £500,000 striker Andy Cole,
pulled off his first signing of the close season and gave the clear
impression it would certainly not be the last.
He revealed he thought he had lost Distin to a late bid by 'a
top-four club', believed to be Liverpool, and said: 'I got a call
last night from a good source saying Sylvain was going there
instead and I had a panic for about an hour.
'I've been down that road before and it is not pleasant but luckily
enough he is here now. I've always liked him.'
Redknapp admits he now has his sights trained on a whole host of
targets - including Titus Bramble, another centre-half released
last week by Newcastle, Hermann Hreidarsson, relegated Charlton's
Iceland defender, Mark Viduka, Middlesbrough's out-of-contract
Australian striker and, likely to be next, Sulley Muntari, the
Ghana World Cup midfielder at Italian club Udinese.
'I think we are very close,' he said about Muntari, whose arrival
at around £7million would shatter Pompey's transfer record.
'We are hopeful we can get it done very soon. I have watched him
for over a year and at just 22 he is a fantastic player.
'I like Hreidarsson. I've heard West Ham made a £2million bid for
him recently and so we'll see what we can do. I also think Bramble
still has the potential to be a great free-agent signing.
'And we've made an offer to Mark (Viduka). He has plenty of offers
and will make up his own mind but we need more goalscoring
potential despite the fact we did a miracle to finish ninth last
season with the squad we had.
'Now we've added Sylvain to that and I'm delighted he has come
here. He's a fantastic defender with a great left foot. He's strong
and powerful and has lightning pace. He's an amazing signing.
'Last year when we inquired about him his price was £5million. Now
he is out of contract suddenly and to get him on a free transfer, I
think, is great business for the club.
'We have money to spend. The chairman here is ambitious but if I
can keep getting this kind of quality on free transfers I will. We
need competition for places.'
Redknapp's big coup last summer was signing former England
centre-half Sol Campbell on a `free' after Arsenal paid up the
remainder of his contract.
Despite an Achilles injury towards the end of the season, Campbell
proved a superb buy and hardly missed a match. And now Redknapp has
killed off speculation that the 32-year-old will be shipped out to
make way for Distin, 29, and any other new defenders.
Redknapp said: 'There is absolutely no way Sol is going
anywhere.
'He still has another year to go on his contract and was key for us
last season. He showed all the quality he has.
'We are still looking to improve the squad all around and will keep
trying to do that. The Premiership is going to be tougher than ever
next year and if you try to stand still with your squad then you
end up going backwards.
'There were five to seven clubs who finished below us who I know
are going to spend big money this summer and now look at Tottenham,
already trying to sign players like (Southampton's) Gareth Bale and
(Auxerre's) Younes Kaboul.
'We have got to keep pace with the rest. Our supporters will expect
us to do even better next season and I don't mind that, but we've
got to keep investing in the squad.'
