Samba seals Anzhi switch

Chris Samba has finalised his move to Anzhi Makhachkala from Blackburn on a four-year deal for a fee in the region of £12million.

Stopper departs Rovers for big-spending Russian side

Defender Christopher Samba has completed his move to Anzhi Makhachkala from Blackburn on a four-year deal for a fee in the region of £12million. The transfer window in Russia did not close until Friday and Anzhi, who recently appointed Guus Hiddink as their coach, have taken advantage to add the defender to their growing list of stars. The 27-year-old made a transfer request in January but remained at Ewood Park after the winter window closed when a possible move to QPR or Tottenham failed to materialise. Samba says he is looking forward to a fresh challenge as Anzhi's billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov bids to transform the club. "It was quite sudden and a little bit anxious. I see it as a new challenge," he told Sky Sports News. "It's a little club who want to become a very big one in Russia. A very powerful owner wants to transform the club and bring the club to greatness. "They have brought in (Samuel) Eto'o and Hiddink to transform the club."

Signings

Anzhi have made a number of notable signings of late, funded by Kerimov. Their squad already boasts Cameroon striker Eto'o, Russia international Yuri Zhirkov and former Brazil defender Roberto Carlos, while they have also been linked with a number of other high-profile players. Blackburn assistant manager Eric Black has backed the rest of the Rovers squad to cope without the towering defensive presence of Samba, starting on Saturday evening at Manchester City. The Scot said: "He hasn't played for a few weeks and our performances have been exceptional. "Obviously there was a blip at Arsenal, but again, you look at the performances against Newcastle, Fulham and QPR and the guys that have been in there have done exceptionally well."