Coventry complete Hartson deal

Coventry City have finally signed their man

Coventry City have finally completed the on-off transfer of striker John Hartson from Wimbledon.

The Wales international insisted he was staying put at Wimbledon until the end of the season after an earlier move to Highfield Road broke down.

But Coventry refused to give up on the deal which was agreed late on Wednesday.

Sky Blues chairman Bryan Richardson said: "We are delighted John is joining us.

"We have agreed terms with Wimbledon, details of which will remain private between the clubs."

Richardson denied reports that Wimbledon will be paid £15,000 every time Hartson plays for Coventry in lieu of a transfer fee.

But he did concede that Wimbledon are to be paid in "blocks of games" for Hartson.

Resurrected

Hartson confirmed the move in a pre-training interview with BBC Wales after Wimbledon agreed to waive their £5m asking price for the player.

The deal had previously foundered when Cedric Roussel refused to join Wimbledon in part exchange.

It also hit a problem when Coventry could not get insurance cover for Hartson, because of his previous medical history and his £5m price tag.

The Coventry chairman previously said: "It is an absolute rule of this club that every player is insured for the full amount of the transfer fee and associated costs.

"For historical reasons, and nothing to do with John Hartson's current situation, we have been unable to secure the necessary insurance cover."

But Coventry's determination to get their man bore fruit - and the club are hopeful he will make his debut against former club West Ham on Monday.

Sky Blues manager Gordon Strachan is desperate to bring in new firepower to bolster a shot-shy attack which has managed just 23 goals in 26 Premiership matches.

His signing of Hartson, who has notched 10 goals in 22 appearances this season for Wimbledon, gives the Sky Blues an all-Welsh partnership up front, with £6.5m club record signing Craig Bellamy.