/ 20 July 1999

ENGLISH CLUB SIGNS HADJI

COVENTRY City on Monday completed the signing of the Moroccan international Mustapha Hadji from Deportivo La Coruna, paving the way for George Boateng to leave for Aston Villa. Coventry paid a club record 4m for the 27-year-old midfield player, known in his home country as “The Detonator”. Hadji grew up in France and had spells with Nancy and Sporting Lisbon before moving to Spain. He was elevated to the role of playmaker for his country at the last World Cup, scoring one of the goals of the tournament in Morocco’s opening match against Norway. Coventry chairman Bryan Richardson described Hadji as “the most exciting signing in our history”. Hadji will link up with his international team-mate Youssef Chippo, who joined Coventry for 1m from Porto last month.