Sunderland unveil Conner Wickham after sealing 12m switch

29 Jun 2011 - 13:54:17

Share A Wick of all right: Connor Wickham has completed his switch to Sunderland
Sunderland have completed a deal worth up to ?12m for highly-rated striking sensation Connor Wickham.
The Black Cats have seen off competition from  Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham in order to land the England Under 21 striker, who was the youngest player at the recent European Championships.
Manager Steve Bruce said: 'A number of top sides have been chasing Connor for some time now so naturally we are absolutely delighted he has chosen to come to Sunderland.
'He's still very young but at 6ft 3inch he's a physical presence. With his height and style of play he'll offer us a threat in front of goal and complement our existing strikers.
'We have been watching him for a while now and he is improving and developing all the time. He's a great prospect and I'm sure our supporters will love watching him play.'
Ipswich accepted a down payment of ?8.1million, which will rise dependent on goals, appearances, European qualification and future England appearances. OnlyLiverpool are believed to have made a bid for Wickham since the end of last  season but their offer was ?2m lower.
Prize asset: Ipswich have held off interest in Wickham for some time
Wickham, who became Ipswich's youngest-ever player at 16 years and 11 days when he came on as a substitute against Doncaster in April 2009, scored the winning goal in England's Under 17s European Championship final win against Spain last summer.
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