Cardiff to take Doherty on three-season contract

Soccer NewsCardiff will look to capture £1 million Tottenham utility player Gary Doherty within the next 48 hours.

The 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international is due at Ninian Park for advanced talks and a medical, with a fee having already been agreed by City and Spurs prior to the Premier League transfer window closing on August 31st.

Cardiff boss Lennie Lawrence has trailed 19-times capped Carndonagh-born Doherty since last March and initially offered £600,000 for a man he sold to Tottenham in a £1.2 million deal while Luton chief three years ago.

Doherty has always struggled to make an impression at White Hart Lane due to injury niggles and competition for places. Anthony Gardner, Stephen Carr, Dean Richards and Ledley King have all blocked his progress.

He will sign a three-season contract at Cardiff, making him available for his new club's away trip to Walsall on Saturday.

Lawrence said last night: "I see Gary as a two-in-one player.

"He is primarily a central defender who is a more-than-useful presence up front. I've known the lad since he was a kid and I'm very aware he wants to wear Cardiff City's shirt.

"I think he's prepared to walk from London to south Wales to do this - that means everything to me.

"I spoke with Spurs director of football David Pleat some time ago. For quite a while Tottenham's valuation of Gary didn't meet our offer. They were demanding £1.2 million for him because they wanted to cover all their financial outlay."

Tottenham were believed to have offered Doherty as a makeweight in the deal that saw Freddie Kanoute leave West Ham for them in a £3.5 million deal recently - Matthew Etherington was eventually used to balance the transfer.

Doherty would take Cardiff's potential summer spending to £2.65 million - Rotherham striker Alan Lee arrived in a £1.2 million move, and QPR winger Richard Langley for £450,000.

Former Charlton midfielder John Robinson landed in July and Australian Tony Vidmar on a free a short time after that from Middlesbrough.

And Lawrence observed, "I think Sam Hammam has certainly backed me in the transfer market."

Meanwhile, Danny Mills has joined Middlesbrough on a year-long loan after falling out of favour with Leeds manager Peter Reid.

Mills was criticised by Reid, dropped for the first two Premiership games of the season and told he could leave Leeds on loan after a falling out.

Elsewhere, Spanish side Racing Santander have completed the year-long loan signing of Manchester United goalkeeper Ricardo.

The 31-year-old has struggled to break into the first team at Old Trafford since joining from Real Valladolid for £1.5 million in August 2002.

The arrival of United States international Tim Howard this summer had pushed Ricardo farther down the pecking order, where he also had competition from Fabien Barthez and Roy Carroll.