Blues reveal Fergie help

Wenger also played a role in the loan signing of Hleb

Last updated: 2nd September 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Blues reveal Fergie help

Hleb: Was wanted by Benfica

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Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has revealed that he received help from Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger in the signing of Alexander Hleb.

The Blues signed the 29-year-old on a season-long loan from Barcelona in one of the best deals of transfer deadline day.

However, the move was almost scuppered as former Arsenal winger Hleb was initially denied a permit to return to England because his national team, Belarus, are ranked outside the top 70 in Fifa's world rankings.

The Blues, though, were successful with an appeal, and McLeish, who is currently negotiating his own contract extension, has thanked Manchester United boss Ferguson and Gunners manager Wenger for greasing the wheels.

"Both Sir Alex and Arsene Wenger gave us a headed notepaper endorsement of Hleb's quality to play in England," the Birmingham boss told his club's official website.

Pipedream

"I think the panel were pretty positive about it anyway. But we had to make sure the panel were aware that Hleb was always a target and it helps when you have got two top managers endorsing a particular player."

McLeish has also stated that Birmingham's chief scout, Paul Montgomery, has been tracking Hleb for a number of years and the club were therefore delighted to beat the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Portuguese champions Benfica to the deal.

The Scot said: "He was always on our list because Paul kept putting him on, but what chance had we got of getting someone like Hleb?

"Hleb was a little bit of a pipedream over the past couple of years, but all of a sudden, in the last three or four days, we were told it was possible and the board made it happen."

McLeish added: "With the feedback we were getting, he was delighted to come.

"To go back to England, that was his first choice and to pip Benfica to get his services is a bit of a coup."