League One Bradford City have signed midfielder Romain Vincelot from divisional rivals Coventry for an undisclosed fee.
The Frenchman joins the Bantams after signing a two-year deal to become their seventh new arrival this summer, much to the encouragement of boss Stuart McCall.
“We're delighted to get Romain into the football club,” said McCall, “I see Romain fitting perfectly with what we want to do here.”
“He has good experience of this level and his all-round game in midfield is very impressive.
“I've spoken to a lot of people about him and having met him myself as well, you can tell he is a good character.
“He has a very strong desire and determination to do well for the club and I'm really pleased we've managed to bring him in,” McCall said.
The move will come as a shock to fans of Coventry with Vincelot having a year remaining on his contract at the Ricoh Arena. Sky Blues manager Tony Mowbray did not show any reluctance when explaining the reasons why he gave the go-ahead to accept the bid for the combative 30-year-old.
“It was my decision – I pushed the button,” Mowbray stressed to the media after Coventry's 2-0 victory over Newport County.
“John Fleck left in the summer and they'd built up a really good partnership but this was an opportunity to freshen up the team.
“Romain was more than happy and it was a good deal for the club. I know we're losing a very talented boy who was fantastic for us last year – I sat with him in my office and talked it through and we decided it was right for him, right for me.
“I wish him well and, as I said to him in the office last night, I hope that Coventry and Bradford are the top two teams in the division next season.
“I have to ask the fans to trust what we're trying to do and sometimes you have to sell an asset so you can build,” Mowbray requested.
There are less than two weeks remaining until the kick-off in the new season with Coventry thin of options in the centre of midfieldk, Vincelot and Fleck's departures leave Andy Rose and Vladimir Gadzhev as Mowbray's only senior players available in the position.
