Keegan captures Hislop at last

Football

Newcastle took their summer spending spree beyond pounds 14m yesterday when they agreed a pounds 1,575,000 fee with Reading for goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who has also agreed personal terms.

It was not, apparently, a case of the Berkshire club cashing in on their assets after last season's defeat in the play-offs. The Reading chairman, John Madejski, said: "We tried everything to persuade Shaka to remain at the club, but he made it quite clear there was nothing the board could do, financially or otherwise, to make him stay."

Hardly surprising, considering that Hislop had had it written into his contract that he should receive 40 per cent of the fee if he was ever sold.

The Reading chairman vowed to make the proceeds from Hislop's sale - such as they are - available to joint managers Jimmy Quinn and Mick Gooding to strengthen their squad, and he added: "We remain committed to building a club which will achieve promotion to the Premier League and, most importantly, remain there."

Tottenham's England winger, Darren Anderton, has been told he must have a hernia operation as soon as possible and is likely to miss the first six weeks of the season.

Tranmere have completed the signing of 31-year-old central defender Shaun Teale from Aston Villa for a pounds 500,000 fee.

Adam Reed became the solitary summer signing of the new Blackburn manager, Ray Harford, when he joined the champions from Third Division Darlington for pounds 200,000.

The 20-year-old defender is in line for an immediate taste of life at the top. Due to the absence of Colin Hendry and Henning Berg on international duty for Scotland and Norway, respectively, he could find himself on the bench at Wembly for Sunday's Charity Shield match against Everton.

"When we completed the deal I told Adam that he might be involved. He nearly had a heart attack," Harford said.

Hendry will be fit to join the Scotland squad this weekend for next week's European Championship qualifier against Greece despite being withdrawn with a leg injury during Blackburn's 5-0 victory at Kilmarnock on Tuesday.