SOCCER/News: David O'Leary completed the first stage of his reconstruction plan for Aston Villa last night when Gavin McCann joined the club from Sunderland for £2.25 million.
There were fears that, having had to abandon attempts to sign the Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson and the Australian midfielder Brett Emerton because of their personal demands, Villa's new wage ceiling of £18,000 a week would threaten the deal.
However, in contrast to the time it has taken O'Leary to get his man, the negotiations were completed swiftly and finalised once the 25-year-old passed a medical.
McCann, who has one England cap, has signed a three-year contract with an option for a further 12 months and is scheduled to meet his new team-mates in Sweden today when he joins them on the club's pre-season tour.
McCann's move to Aston Villa makes him the first high-profile player to leave Sunderland since the club's relegation from the Premiership and his departure could be the start of an exodus from the Stadium of Light - his former team-mate, the goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, is also on O'Leary's wanted list.
Meanwhile, Wolverhampton hope to sign the Tottenham striker Steffen Iversen in time for tonight's friendly against Den Haag. The deal hinged on the 26-year-old passing a medical and the clubs agreeing the terms of the transfer after Spurs decided to release him.
Southampton will complete the signing of Emmanuel Adebayor at the weekend after agreeing a £300,000 fee for the Metz striker. The Saints manager Gordon Strachan, currently with the squad on their pre-season tour of Sweden, has been tracking the 19-year-old Adebayor for months but made his move after the £7 million sale of Wayne Bridge to Chelsea last week.
Strachan visited Adebayor at Metz late last season after his 13 goals put him among the French league's top scorers.
There should be no problem over a work permit as Adebayor, a full international with Togo for the last three years, has been resident in France since the age of seven. "I didn't know too much about Southampton before but it will be a good thing for me to play in the Premier League," he said.
Strachan appears set to spend a further £2.1 million for the Real Sociedad left-winger Javier de Pedro.
Everton are close to agreeing a £600,000 fee with Liaoning Bird to complete the permanent signing of the China midfielder Li Tie.
Graeme Souness faces a five-match touchline ban after the Football Association said that his appeal against a misconduct charge brought for alleged offences committed last December would finally be heard next week.
The Blackburn Rovers manager, currently on a pre-season tour in the United States, was charged with using foul and abusive language towards match officials after being sent to the stand by Andy D'Urso during the League Cup quarter-final win against Wigan eight months ago.
The Scot will now appear at Bolton's Reebok Stadium on Tuesday under threat of a third touchline suspension in 15 months. Souness had been fined £10,000 and served a one-match ban for abusing a referee during Rovers' 1-0 FA Cup fifth-round defeat at Middlesbrough in February 2002.
He was later dismissed during a league game with Liverpool in August of that year, an offence which prompted a £15,000 fine and three-match suspension. "I deny the allegations strenuously and I'll fight it vigorously," said Souness at the time of the Wigan match.
A worrying day for Souness was compounded when his midfielder David Thompson limped off with damaged ankle ligaments during Blackburn's penalty defeat by DC United in Washington. He could be doubtful for Rovers' opening league game with Wolves next month.
The FA has charged West Ham United's Joe Cole and Rufus Brevett with misconduct following the Londoners' 1-0 defeat at Bolton in April.
The Sunderland defender Emerson Thome has been released from his trial with Rangers. The champions' manager Alex McLeish has also dropped his interest in the former Manchester United defender David May.
Manchester City have completed the signing of Dutch midfielder Paul Bosvelt, who has signed a two-year deal with the Premiership club.
City boss Kevin Keegan told the club's official website, www.mcfc.co.uk: "The terms have been agreed, he has passed his medical and he is now on a tour of the new stadium.
"I am so excited and pleased for everyone. He will be a big asset to this club and I am as thrilled about this signing as any I have made."
The Dutch international will not travel to Denmark for Friday's game against former club Feyenoord.
He is expected to meet his new colleagues at the Carrington training ground on Monday and could make his first appearance against Lincoln in Tuesday evening's friendly.
