Zagreb welcome new signing Quedrue

Cole finally lands target after prolonged negotiations

The Bad Blue Boys landed yet another top class defender right before today's match with the aquisition of 60K rated Frenchman Franck Quedrue. The Boro man had long been a source of transfer speculation after the manager had announced he was surplus to requirements and put him on the transfer list. Zagreb manager Jatex Cole had long been among Quedrue's admirers but a hefty $40m price tag had scared a few clubs away.

However, after a few hours at the table, Zagreb announced that they had come to a deal with the English club. Quedrue cost the Croatian club $20m, with unsettled Brazilian midfielder Elano also going over to Middlesbrough as part of the deal. Quedrue stated that he was delighted to join a club like Zagreb, which was obviously of a higher calibre than Boro, and also said that the lure of 2nd Division football had swayed his resolve to stay in England.

A beaming Cole pointed out Quedrue's excellent defensive qualities and also hinted that the latter could play a part in the match against a rejuvinated Istanbulspor. Nevertheless, that remains to be seen as the match kicks off in about half an hour's time.