Wolves have signed Hearts defender Christophe Berra for an undisclosed fee on a long-term deal.
Championship leaders finally secure signing of Hearts captain
Wolves have signed Hearts defender Christophe Berra for an undisclosed fee as they push for promotion to the Premier League.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has been tracking the Scotland international for some time and tried to sign him last summer.
He is delighted to finally land the Hearts captain, who has signed a four-and-a-half year deal.
McCarthy told the club's
official website: "I'm delighted because Christophe who will be a really good addition to the squad.
"He's 6ft 3in, left footed with a bit of pace and a good defender who reads the ball well and is good in the air.
Ambitious lad
"He was the captain of Hearts and is an ambitious lad who's in the Scotland squad at the moment and will be driven in wanting to get to the Premier League.
"He'll fit in with the rest of the squad in wanting to push his career forward."
Wolves CEO Jez Moxey was also happy to conclude negotiations, which were often quite complex.
"There was certainly a time when it didn't appear as if we would be successful in securing Christophe's signature, but we stuck to our guns and ultimately managed to complete the deal at the price we wanted," said Moxey.
"With all that finally done and dusted now we can look forward to seeing him play!
Considerable time
"Christophe is a strong and physical defender who Mick has been keeping tabs on for some considerable time - indeed we initially tried to sign him last summer.
"Not only was he an influential captain up at Hearts, he is also a Scottish international, and having just turned 24 possesses the same sort of drive and ambition to succeed as the other members of our young and talented squad."
Berra made 137 appearances for Hearts, scoring five goals, and captained the team for the last 18 months.
A Hearts spokesperson told the club's
official website: "Christophe has been a very fine servant to Hearts and deserves this opportunity.
"He has been a fantastic player for Hearts and a very good captain.
"Christophe is still young and it is clear he has a very exciting future. We wish him every success."
