Bridge joins City

Wayne Bridge will soon be joining Manchester City from Chelsea, after the two clubs agreed on a transfer deal on Saturday for a reported fee of 10 million pounds.

Bridge, who only recently extended his contract with Chelsea to 2012 and has spend most of the season on the bench, was released from his services at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and will join City as the club’s first choice left-back this week.

“I played alongside Wayne at Southampton and saw him come through the ranks,” Manchester City manager Mark Hughes said on the club’s website. “He was an outstanding young player and he’s progressed year on year in his career.”

Bridge is City’s first transfer window purchase, and a number of expensive signings are expected to follow. Hughes has told reporters that he’ll need at least five additional players to arrest his club’s slide down the Premier League table.

“He is of the right quality and is the type of player we need to attract,” Hughes concluded. “We need good players that understand this league and we will look to carry on in that way and add more if we can.”