Sheffield United have snatched Swansea City midfielder Leon Britton from under the noses of several other clubs anxious to obtain his signature.

Leon spoke to the BladesPlayer cameras immediately after signing, a short clip is available to the right for free, and subscribers can see the interview in full on BladesPlayer.TV

The 27 year old has agreed a three year deal with the Blades - who have also negotiated a further year's option - and the talented Londoner went out of his way to emphasise why he had chosen Bramall Lane as his destination from 1st July:

"There was interest from the Premiership and I spoke to a couple of people there but it wasn't right for me - Sheffield United was.

"First and foremost this is a massive club, you only have to look at the average attendance last season. I was here with Swansea for the penultimate one and the special atmosphere from that day is still fresh in my mind."

For Kevin Blackwell, who has now added Britton, Johnny Ertl and Daniel Bogdanovic to his emerging squad in little over a week, it is the end of a chase that began several weeks ago:

"It has been a protracted process because it started after we played Sheffield Wednesday in mid April when we had arranged to meet in the hotel and I began preliminary talks with him.

"Leon is a player of real quality, the sort we have missed at this Club since the days when we had Stuart McCall and Michael Brown in the middle of the park."

Chief Executive Trevor Birch who concluded the successful negotiations added: "Leon is an important signing for us but it hasn't been the easiest of pursuits.

"The player was much in demand at a high level and it is a tribute to the manager's motivational skills and to the player's own firm personal football beliefs that we were all able to eventually conclude the deal.

"Both have been impressed by what the other offers and Leon has made it clear that money hasn't been his major issue in what has been an important decision for him.

"In the space of about three weeks we have tied down six major signings and there is a real feeling that by the time the season opens the manager will have assembled a group of players who can represent this club with pride and confidence in their ability."