O'Hara makes £5m move to Wolves

Wolves have signed Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara in a £5m deal.

The 24-year-old has agreed a five-year contract after enjoying a successful loan spell at Molineux during the second half of last season.

O'Hara scored three goals in 13 games, including one against Blackburn on the final day of the campaign that helped keep Wolves in the Premier League.

Manager Mick McCarthy said: "There was a dip in form at one juncture but he came strong again at the end."

An agreement had already been put in place for O'Hara to make his stay at Molineux permanent should the player and McCarthy wish to make that happen.

The former Portsmouth midfielder joined Wolves on loan in January and has played just behind the main striker in a 4-5-1 formation.

"I am delighted the deal has been done which will see Jamie become a permanent Wolves player," added McCarthy.

"It may have taken a bit of time to finalise all the details but it was always going to happen because we wanted to sign him and he wanted to come.

"He showed some real quality when he was on loan with us last season, and that was having come back from not playing for eight months after a back operation.

"Despite that absence, he made a key contribution over the second half of the campaign, and with a full pre-season behind him he has the potential to get even better next season.

"He is a midfielder who is good on the ball, not afraid to put his foot in and also has an eye for goal.

"On top of that he is also a good character around the place who has a positive influence in the dressing room."

Wolves are also interested in Reading defender Matt Mills and Liverpool left-back Paul Konchesky, who spent the second half of last season on loan to Nottingham Forest.

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Man Utd target Jones 'is bargain'

By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer Phil Jones will be competing in the U21 Championships for England in Denmark Manchester United are set to land a bargain as they near a £16m deal for Blackburn's Phil Jones, according to former Rovers star Kevin Gallacher.

Jones joined England's Under-21 squad for the European Championship after a medical at United, having rejected moves to Arsenal and Liverpool.

And Gallacher believes Sir Alex Ferguson has landed the 19-year-old defender at a knock-down price.

"I think he's underpriced to be honest," Gallacher told BBC Sport.

"He is already top quality and will only get better with the players that will be around him at Manchester United."

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Wayne Rooney, Jones's new team-mate, is the world's most expensive teenager after his £27m move from Everton in 2004 aged 18.

There has been talk of a so-called "English premium" on transfers with Liverpool set to splash out a similar sum on Sunderland youngster Jordan Henderson.

And Gallacher added: "My own view is that Blackburn would have been looking for £20m minimum for Phil.

"But there was a clause in his contract that enabled him to go for less and United have got a very good deal in my opinion."

Gallacher, who made 146 appearances for Rovers and won 53 Scotland caps, is also convinced United have captured a future England regular - and potential international captain - in the shape of the powerful Jones, who can also play in midfield.

He said: "Manchester United have got themselves an outstanding young player.

"He has been talked about as a future England captain and he has so much potential as well as character and leadership qualities that I can certainly see that.

"If he carries on as he has been doing I don't think it will be long before he is a regular in Fabio Capello's squad.

"And when you look at leaders he has got all the attributes to be a captain at the highest level.

"For one so young, he leads by example and he is not scared of handing out a rollocking to the older players around him as well when the need arises."

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Warner will not attend Fifa probe

Suspended Fifa vice-president Jack Warner is refusing to meet with the organisations investigators tasked with probing bribery allegations.

Warner and fellow Fifa member Mohamed Bin Hammam are alleged to have paid bribes totalling $1m (£600,000) to Caribbean associations.

Warner said: "I have not received any summons asking me to speak with them [the investigators] nor do I plan to."

Both Warner and Bin Hammam have denied any wrongdoing.

A total of 25 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) associations are alleged to have been paid or offered bribes of $40,000 (£25,000) each - and up to 18 of these have refused Fifa's call to go to Miami to provide evidence.

Fifa agreed to move the venue for the interviews with those CFU members who refused to travel to Miami, but Warner will not be among those due to be quizzed.

However, a CFU source said that its associations were prepared to co-operate with any "independent and unbiased" investigation.

The CFU suggested Barbados and Trinidad as options for a different venue to Miami but it is believed Fifa will choose an island elsewhere in the Caribbean.

Warner and Bin Hammam are currently suspended pending the investigation into allegations they offered cash in exchange for votes for the latter in the Fifa presidential elections at a meeting on 10-11 May.

Bin Hammam later withdraw his candidacy ahead of the contest but has maintained his innocence.

"If there is even the slightest justice in the world, these allegations will vanish in the wind," said Bin Hamman when the allegations were made against him.

The president of the Barbados Football Association, Ronald Jones, has insisted that neither he nor his officials were offered any bribes by Bin Hamman or Warner.

"None of our delegates were offered any inducements or gifts to support any of the candidates during the meeting on 10 May," said Jones in a statement.

"The Barbados Football Association was made aware that the trip and accommodation were sponsored by Mohamed Bin Hamman under the auspices of the CFU.

"The BFA did not and does not see this as akin to bribery or any inducements as in the past trips by Caribbean delegates to meetings have been sponsored by the organisation and agency that wanted to put on the programme."

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