Birmingham City seal Alexander Hleb loan deal
Birmingham City have pulled off a major transfer deadline-day coup by securing the services of Barcelona’s Alexander Hleb on loan.
The 29-year-old former Arsenal attacking midfielder has joined the English Premier League outfit until the end of the season. Blues boss Alex McLeish spoke of his delight at snapping up the talented Belarus international.
He told his club’s official website that: "Hleb is a top quality player — one who at one stage we'd only actually dreamed about really. Over the past year or so we have talked about him but with no real belief we could get him. We decided to give it a try and towards the end of the window we found out it might be possible."
McLeish said the signing would have major implications for his team.
"This is a major signing for us and we are very happy to have him here. He is an extremely creative type who is skilful, a great dribbler and has an excellent touch and quick feet. He has huge international experience and a great pedigree due to playing for clubs such as Stuttgart, Arsenal and Barcelona."
German move
Hleb started his career with Belarus Premier League side BATE Borisov and won the league championship with them in 1999. In 2000, he moved to German Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart for a fee of around 150,000 euros. During five seasons with the club, he made 172 appearances across all competitions and scored 41 times.
In June 2005, the midfielder signed a four-year deal with EPL giants Arsenal in a transfer worth up to 15 million euros. Though Hleb impressed with the Gunners, he failed to win any trophies and joined La Liga side Barcelona in July 2008.
Hleb struggled to make an impact on the first team at Barca, and was part of the squad which won the La Liga title, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League in the 2008-09 season. However, he was loaned back to Stuttgart for the 2009-10 campaign.
The midfielder has also become a prominent member of the Belarus national team, having won 54 caps and scored seven goals.
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