Exiting Town striker Tamás Priskin has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Russian side Alania Vladikavkaz, his agent Jozsef Vorosbaranyi has confirmed to the Hungarian media. The 25-year-old’s Blues contract was terminated by mutual consent earlier in the week.
Town boss Paul Jewell says Priskin’s desire to move to Russian second division leaders Alania was what led to his contract being torn up: "His agent rang me over the weekend and said that there’s a deal on the table for him in Russia and Tamás wanted to take it. So we came to some arrangement with him.
"His contract was up in the summer and we probably wouldn’t [have offered him a new one]. He was one of the high wage earners as well, so it gets it off the bill.
"With him, Ãvar Ingimarsson and Colin Healy, it’s part of a rebuilding process we’re trying to do here.
"I think he wanted to go. At the end of the day, if a player wants to go, whoever it is, and we think it’s beneficial to us, I’m not against that. If people don’t want to be here, there’s no point in them being here.”
Priskin’s contract at Alania is understood to include a clause which will allow him to assess his future at the end of the season if his new side fail to win promotion to the Russian top flight.
While Priskin, Shane O’Connor and Ãvar Ingimarsson have left the club having had their contracts terminated in the last few weeks, manager Paul Jewell had received no offers for any of his players at the time of yesterday’s pre-match press conference.