Steven Caulker
Tottenham defender Steven Caulker completes transfer to Cardiff City for Bluebirds’ record fee of £8m Reuters

Steven Caulker has signed for Premier League newcomers Cardiff City on a four-year deal. Cardiff are believed to have set a new transfer record for the former Tottenham defender, with the Press Association (PA) claiming they paid Tottenham £8m to bring the 21-year-old to Wales.

Confirmation of the transfer comes from a note on the club website, which reads:

"Cardiff City can this evening confirm the Club record signing of England international StevenCaulker from Tottenham Hotspur. Twenty-one year old centre-half Steven joins City on a four-year deal having completed his medical on Wednesday, and will link up with his new team-mates on Thursday morning for training."

Eager to impress in the English top-flight this season, Cardiff have now broken transfer records twice this month. Danish international Andreas Cornelius signed from FC Copenhagen for a reported £7.5m, according to the BBC.

Caulker made 28 appearances for Spurs last season (17 Premier League starts) and scored twice.

"First and foremost I want to say how happy I am to have signed with Cardiff City Football Club. I'm delighted to be here and excited for this fresh challenge," Caulker said, after confirming his switch.

"I spoke to the gaffer [Malky Mackay] yesterday, liked what he had to say and am excited about the plans he has for the Football Club. You get the sense of excitement from everybody at the Club in the build-up to the season's kick-off at West Ham and I'm really looking forward to being part of it," he continued.

"I thank Tottenham for everything they've done for me, having been there since I was a kid. But I'm here to back myself up now and show what I can do. This is a fresh start, a new chapter and I'm here to kick on," the defender concluded.

With the departure of Caulker, Andre Villas-Boas is left with Younes Kaboul, Michael Dawson and Jan Vertonghen as first-team centre-backs. Spurs have been linked with Steaua Bucharest defender Vlad Chiriches in new transfer moves.

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