Football: McGhee snaps up 'bargain' Williams

Mark McGhee, the Wolves manager, yesterday spent pounds 750,000 to take Adrian Williams, Reading's Welsh international defender, to Molineux.

The 24-year-old centre-back signed a four-year deal after deciding to leave his home town club after almost a decade. Molineux will be virtually a home from home with McGhee, and his assistants, Colin Lee and Mike Hickman, having worked together at Elm Park during a promotion season.

McGhee thought he had picked up a bargain. "If I had sold him at Reading, I would have wanted more than pounds 750,000."

He has also been trailing Czech Republic's Petr Kouba, but the 27-year- old goalkeeper is likely to join the Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna.

Aston Villa, seeking cover for Gary Charles, who has a broken ankle, yesterday confirmed their interest in Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese international full-back, Fernando Nelson, who could cost them pounds 1.5m.

The Scotland defender Tom Boyd has signed a new five-year contract with Celtic. Boyd had delayed signing until after Euro 96. "There were Continental clubs interested but my first choice was to remain here if the terms were correct."

Oldham have rejected an offer of pounds 200,000 from Everton for the pounds 1m-rated Chris Makin, the former England Under-21 full-back who is out of contract at Boundary Park.

Stoke are considering an offer of pounds 450,000 from Sheffield United for the former Portsmouth defender Lee Sandford.

Nigel Spackman is leaving Chelsea to join Sheffield United as Howard Kendall's right-hand man. Kendall has been looking for a new assistant since Adrian Heath left for the hot seat at Burnley.

Newcastle United could yet build their planned 80,000-capacity stadium in the city itself rather than move to Gateshead. The Premiership club have hinted they could leave St James' Park, their home since 1892 but which they say is too small to meet the demand for tickets, and move across the River Tyne.

Newcastle councillors keen to keep the Magpies in their home city have formulated a plan to allow the club to use land that the public has had access to for centuries. Under the proposal, the club build a new stadium, ice rink and retail facilities on open land and parkland at Castle Leazes, adjacent to St James' Park, which holds 36,500.

Sunderland have borrowed pounds 6m, which will guarantee the completion of the club's new stadium. The NWS Bank, a subsidiary of the Bank of Scotland, has agreed a loan repayable over 10 years with the club.

Promoted to the Premiership, the club now has the pounds 15m it needs to build on the banks of the River Wear a stadium that will eventually have a 40,000 capacity. The new site is less than a mile from their present ground, Roker Park, and the stadium should be ready for the start of the 1997- 98 season.