Leicester sign Rogers

FA Premiership side Leicester City FC have signed Nottingham Forest FC defender Alan Rogers in a €650,000 deal.

Immediate difference
Leicester manager Dave Bassett has brought the 24-year-old full-back to Filbert Street as he attempts to raise the struggling club from the lower reaches of the FA Premiership. The experienced Bassett is hoping that Rogers can make an immediate difference with Leicester still dangerously close to the bottom of the table. "I have agreed terms with Forest for Rogers and, all being well, he will go straight into the squad for Saturday," he told the Leicester Mercury website.

'No alternative'
Forest were keen to keep hold of Rogers who returned to first-team action this season after a year's lay-off with knee-ligament problems. However, he recently rejected their offer of a new contract and since he would have been able to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2002, the club agreed to let him go. "Once Alan had rejected our offer of a new contract, we were left with no alternative but to listen to offers for him," said Forest manager Paul Hart.

Keen on Deane
Meanwhile, Bassett has also announced that he is interested in signing Middlesbrough FC striker Brian Deane, a player he worked with at Sheffield United FC. The manager was hopeful that a move for the 33-year-old former Leeds United FC and SL Benfica striker could be completed in time for Saturday's FA Premiership game with Manchester United FC. "I have also expressed an interest in Brian Deane," he said. "There have been talks but some details still have to be sorted out."

Limited resources
The manager told reporters that he was keen to bring more players to the club but did not have a large budget to spend. "We are not splashing out huge amounts but some money has been made available to me," he said.

Transfer-listed
Bassett may be able to raise some transfer funds from the sale of striker Arnar Gunnlaugsson, whom he placed on the transfer list this week. Bassett told the Icelandic international that he did not feature in his plans for Leicester. "We had a talk and I said we would not be renewing his contract which is up at the end of the season," he said. "We agreed he should be transfer-listed so he could fix himself up with a club."