Departing Ashton thanks club

Last updated : 22 January 2006 By Rick Lamb
Ambitious striker Dean Ashton paid tribute to the club he is about to desert as he headed to London to finalise a move to Upton Park.

Ashton will break transfer records at Carrow Road for the second time in a year as he leaves in a £7.25million deal, dwarfing the £5million City received from Blackburn for Dean Ashton more then a decade ago. He also replaces Tomas Repka as the Hammers' most costly purchase.

The 22-year-old, who became an incredibly popular figure in his all-too-brief time at Norwich, thanked the supporters and members of staff who made his stay an enjoyable one. He also attempted to explain the reasoning behind his move.

"I have had a great year with Norwich and would like to sincerely thank the fans and everyone I have worked with at Colney and Carrow Road. West Ham are a big club, I am ambitious and at the end of the day the chance of a swift step up to the Premiership is too good to turn down.

"I spoke to Nigel and the Board and told them I wanted to pursue this opportunity. I'd like to thank Norwich for understanding that and allowing myself and my representative to talk to West Ham."