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Bruce signs mobile DJ as last-gasp Spurs snap up Murphy

Sam Wallace
Wednesday 01 February 2006 01:00 GMT
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The last day of the transfer window is a mixture of pragmatism and desperation and Birmingham City showed a bit of both last night when they signed the Brentford striker D J Campbell in a deal which could eventually be worth £1 m to the League One club.

Leaving it very late last night was Danny Murphy, who moved from Charlton Athletic to Tottenham Hotspur just minutes before the deadline after turning them down 18 months earlier to go to the Valley.

A deal that was not finalised yesterday was Thierry Henry's new contract at Arsenal. The Frenchman was told by Arsène Wenger, the manager, that he will have to take it on trust that Arsenal will develop as a team and sign the contract that will keep him at Arsenal for the rest of his career. After dramatically pledging his future to the club last month, the French striker has still not signed a deal that is understood will pay him more than £100,000 a week.

Campbell, the 24-year-old, who grabbed both goals for Brentford in Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round triumph over Premiership Sunderland, has agreed a three-year contract. Birmingham will pay an initial £500,000 for Campbell ­ who was playing his football in the Ryman Premier League just one year ago ­ but the fee could double depending on appearances and his achievements.

Campbell, a former warehouseman who was the star of Yeading's run to the FA Cup third round last season, only turned professional in the summer with Brentford.

Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager, said: "It is a situation we have been watching for a few weeks. We didn't want him to do what he did against Sunderland on Saturday ­ it reminded everyone that he is a good player! He is someone who is quick, direct and young. He is a bit raw but he has a good eye for goal and is an exciting player."

The deal represents a handsome profit on the £5,000 that Brentford paid

Yeading, also based in west London, for the player ­ real name Dudley ­ who was rejected by Queen's Park Rangers and Aston Villa as a youngster and has admitted to suffering from an attitude problem at the beginning of his career.

On Henry's future, Wenger said: "He can see it as well as I can. He knows the best way is always trust, sign first and qualify [for the Champions' League next season] after. That is the only way you can do it because you need to be committed to qualify.

"He has made up his mind and said he wants to stay. I talk to him about the team, about how we want to play and how we want to progress. He made a statement that he wanted to stay. If I say to you I stay, then I stay. I do not need to reiterate that every week."

Arsenal winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, 19, rated as one of the best of Wenger's young crop, has joined Spartak Moscow. Blackburn have bought another of Wenger's young players ­ David Bentley, 21, on a permanent deal. In Spain, Atletico Madrid have privately indicated that they have looked closely at Tottenham's offer of up to £20m for the international striker Fernando Torres, revealed in The Independent yesterday. Representatives of the Premiership club had talks with Atletico and the

player's agent, Jose Antonio Martin, this week and will consider the offer with a view to a summer deal.

Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown, 29, went to Fulham before they played at Craven Cottage last night, and Spurs also completed the signing of the Egyptian midfielder Hossam Ghaly, 24, from Feyenoord.

Everton decided not to take Preston North End's David Nugent, 20, last night and they were rejected in a bid for the Turkish international Fatih Tekke, 28, of Trabzonspor. In a bizarre sequence of events in Turkey the player had his car shot at and requested a transfer. He was told to stay by the club after coach Vahid Halilhodzic threatened to resign if Tekke was allowed to leave.

Norwich City paid £3.5m for West Brom striker Robert Earnshaw, 24, and late last night the Baggies signed the Uruguay centre-half Williams Martinez on loan until the end of the season.

Deadline-day deals

Tomas Repka (West Ham to Sparta Prague, undisclosed)

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (Arsenal to Spartak Moscow, undisclosed)

David Bentley (Arsenal to Blackburn, undisclosed)

Matthew Mills (Southampton to Manchester City, undisclosed)

Zesh Rehman (Fulham to Norwich, loan)

Jonatan Johansson (Charlton to Norwich, loan)

Andres D'Alessandro (Wolfsburg to Portsmouth, loan)

Micheal Brown (Spurs to Fulham, undisclosed)

Hossam Ghaly (Feyenord to Spurs, undisclosed)

Petr Mikolanda (West Ham to Rushden & Diamonds, loan)

Kenny Cooper (Manchester United released)

Florent Sinama-Pongolle (Liverpool to Blackburn Rovers, loan)

David Raven (Liverpool to Tranmere, loan)

Jonathon D'Laryea (Manchester City to Mansfield, nominal)

Lionel Scalon (Deportivo La Coruna to West Ham, loan)

Rob Earnshaw (West Brom to Norwich, £3.5m)

Rory Delap (Southampton to Sunderland, free)

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