By IANS
London : The nine-million pound transfer of Craig Gordon from Scottish club Hearts to Sunderland makes him the most expensive goalkeeper in British football.
“I’m delighted that we’ve managed to sign Craig,” Sunderland manager Roy Keane told the Sunderland website Wednesday.
“He’s a top goalkeeper and he’ll be a massive asset for us over the next few years.”
Gordon is the newly promoted English Premier League side’s seventh summer signing after agreeing to a five-year deal, having opted to join Sunderland ahead of Aston Villa.
The deal for the 24-year-old, capped 23 times for Scotland, surpasses the 7.8 million pounds Manchester United spent on Frenchman Fabien Barthez.
Gordon, who made 139 league appearances for the Edinburgh side Hearts, has performed impressively on the international stage, notably when his heroics helped Scotland earn a 1-0 win over France in a Euro 2008 qualifier last year.
He was voted the 2005-06 Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year.