Lescott is best centre half in league, say City

Manchester: John Terry and Rio Ferdinand may be England`s first-choice central defenders but Manchester City manager Mark Hughes believes his new 22 million pounds signing (USD 35.98 million) Joleon Lescott is even better.

"I`m delighted to welcome Joleon to the club," Hughes told reporters on Wednesday after completing a protracted deal to buy Lescott from Premier League rivals Everton."It`s been a long and difficult process but I feel Joleon is the best centre half in the Premier League and will be for many years to come." "He`s key to what we are trying to achieve. I`ve been really keen to bring him here because the key as a manager is being able to work with your targets and now it`s just a case of integrating him into the team," added Hughes. England international Lescott said he made the switch because City had more chance of breaking into the league`s top four. "I had a good rapport with the Everton fans and got on well with them," said the 27-year-old. "They were great with me and I`d like to thank them." "I gave my all for them when I was there but everyone outside the top four is aiming for the same thing and Manchester City are better equipped to get there than Everton." Lescott, who has agreed a five-year deal with City, is the club`s sixth major signing since the end of last season, joining Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure at Eastlands. The defender was accused of having a poor attitude by Everton manager David Moyes after he made it clear he wanted to leave Goodison Park for City. Lescott was dropped from the squad after Everton`s humiliating 6-1 opening-day home defeat by Arsenal earlier this month and made to train on his own. "It hasn`t been easy and I had to weigh up my options. The criticism I got was disappointing because I don`t think I`ve disrespected the club," Lescott said. "If I did then I apologise but I just want to be part of this successful time at Manchester City." "I`m looking forward to training and getting started. I haven`t trained for a while so I want to get back out there." City, who have won their opening two league matches, travel to Portsmouth on Sunday when Lescott is expected to make his debut. Bureau Report