It has been confirmed at 21:15PM that Blades defender Matt Kilgallon has joined Sunderland for an undisclosed fee. Trevor Birch, United's Chief Executive, said:
"Given that Mathew could have walked away for nothing at the end of the season we were always going to be under some pressure if a sensible bid was received.
"I think both parties would have been happy to run out the contract, but once an offer of substance had been received which satisfied the club and the player then it was pretty difficult to ignore.
"We are sorry to see Matt go but our thoughts now are focussed on assisting the manager in further strengthening the squad after the arrivals of Mark Yeates and Marcel Seip."
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Strong reports from the BBC and Sky Sports are indicating that Blades defender Matt Kilgallon is to sign for Sunderland for £2m. Those reports go on to say that the 26-year-old underwent a medical at the Stadium of Light this afternoon (Thursday).
Kilgallon expressed his desire to play in England's top-flight a couple of months ago in a revealing interview with Sky Sports. Kilgallon's form, after the interview, then dropped when several clubs were linked with his services, but he improved quickly and got back to his very best.
Killa was relegated with the Blades and missed out on Premier League football when United lost in last season's Play-Off Final. Kilgallon's agent recently revealed that the centre-back WILL NOT be making a move away from Bramall Lane in the current transfer window. Last week, Kilgallon rejected a move to Burnley with United accepting a fee believed to be around £1.75m.
The Blades do have ready replacements, but are they adequate replacements? Marcel Seip has shone since arriving from Plymouth, while the injured Jonathan Fortune, who penned a new contract this week, has only appeared a couple of times.
Chris Morgan, though, today signed an extension to his contract at Bramall Lane which was to run out at the end of the season, similar to Kilgallon's.
Good luck to Matt, and all Unitedites thank him for his service to the club.
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