Stuttgart delight as Pogrebnyak signs from Zenit
Stuttgart general manager Horst Heldt was delighted to welcome Pavel Pogrebnyak to his club after the Russia international passed a medical.
The 25-year-old has joined for an undisclosed fee from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg on a four-year contract and will take the place in the Stuttgart attack left vacant following the sale of Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich.
''We are delighted that it has worked out,'' said Heldt. ''He fulfils precisely the profile that we were looking for. He is a target man, just like Mario Gomez.''
Heldt denied reports that the 25-year-old had cost his side a third of the 30m euros they had earned from the sale of Gomez, saying the fee was ''in the region of five million''.
''We said that we would not do anything crazy,'' explained Heldt on DSF television.
''Pavel only had six months left on his contract so 10m would have clearly been too much.''
Since Stuttgart have managed to sign Pogrebnyak relatively cheaply, Heldt would not rule out making any more signings this summer after the club also agreed a one-year loan deal with Barcelona for Alexander Hleb last week.
''Theoretically, we could make some more additions,'' he said. ''The window is open until the end of August and we will leave this opportunity open to us.''
Pogrebnyak was heading back to Russia to obtain a work permit and he is due back in Germany on Monday when he will be officially presented as a Stuttgart player.
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