Blues land McSheffery

Birmingham have signed Coventry striker Gary McSheffrey in a deal valued at £4m (€5.9m).

The Blues made a fifth bid for the striker which was accepted and he signed a four-year deal, with an option of a further two years, after he passed a medical.

A product of Coventry’s youth Academy, McSheffrey became the Premiership’s youngest player when he made his debut as a 16-year-old against Aston Villa in 1999.

Since then, the 24-year-old has gone on to make 162 appearances for the Sky Blues in all competitions.

Coventry managing director Paul Fletcher believes this was the most difficult decision the board has had to make for a number of years.

He said: “It was never our intention to let Gary McSheffrey go but we have made a decision which we believe is in the best interests of Coventry City Football Club, having discussed the latest offer with the board, manager and the player himself.

“Gary has been a tremendous servant to this football club but there comes a time in everyone’s career when they have an opportunity to move on.

“Although I understand that this decision will be unpopular with many of our supporters, I would urge all of our fans to look long-term towards our goal of reaching the Premiership within the next three years. We are still totally committed towards that objective.

“This money will help Micky Adams to strengthen the squad and create a better team to get us there.”