BOSVELT IN CITY SWITCH

Paul Bosvelt: ‘I hoped that the club would cooperate with the transfer and that the club ultimately has done is confirmation that Feyenoord did not begrudge me it. I would have liked to have gone on a free, but I now realise that Feyenoord is not a charity for the benefit of other clubs. There has to be money for a replacement. ‘These past few weeks it’s been suggested that there was still something between the coach and me. That is absolute nonsense. I handed back the captain’s armband because in April I thought: “I don’t want it”. I had a good discussion with the coach at the time and that closed the book on it for us. All those stories that came out were rubbish. The only good thing about them was that they attracted the attention of Manchester City and others, who were prepared to pay a fee. ‘Van den Herik assured me on Monday evening that in his heart he did not begrudge me a free transfer, but not if only the new club benefited. It’s a few weeks later and we’ve found another solution and I’m happy with that. I have had six fantastic years at Feyenoord. I look back on them with pleasure. We are parting amicably and that is what the two parties wanted. That’s why I would prefer not to play with Manchester City against Feyenoord next weekend. I just want to thank the fans and the club at the Kuip.’