Edwards explains Hatters exit
By: Clubcall2007-01-04 09:33
New Sunderland winger Carlos Edwards says he has no regrets about leaving Luton Town to join the Black Cats, as he felt it was time to move on.
The Trinidad and Tobago international has joined Sunderland for £1.4million, and it is thought international team-mate Dwight Yorke played a role in selling the club to the former Wrexham ace.
Edwards told his new club's website that he is glad to have moved on a further stage in his career:
"It was time for me to move on to better things, no disrespect to Luton Town. I am just looking to make the best of my opportunity here.
"Dwight has been at Manchester United and Aston Villa, but he told me he had never seen the facilities he has at Sunderland."
Edwards 'relishing' new challenge
By: BBC SportSunderland's new signing Carlos Edwards has said that he is 'relishing' the chance to play for the club.
Edwards, 28, was signed from Luton for £1.5m, and the winger could feature in the FA Cup clash against Preston.
"Hopefully I'll play come Saturday, but if not, I'll just have to wait a bit longer," he told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"I'm coming to a club that has been places and knows what it is like to be in the top flight. It's time the club was back where it belongs."
Edwards joined Luton from Wrexham on a free in May 2005 and went on to make 74 appearances, scoring eight times.
He was heavily involved in Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup campaign last summer, playing in all three games against Sweden, England and Paraguay.
EDWARDS TARGETS PROMOTION
By Damian Spellman, PA SportSunderland new boy Carlos Edwards has set his sights firmly on the Barclays Premiership after clinching a £1.5million move to the Stadium of Light.
The 28-year-old Trinidad and Tobago midfielder goes straight into the squad for Saturday's tough FA Cup third-round trip to Preston after making the switch from Luton this week, but with even bigger things in mind.
Edwards said: "It is most footballers' dream to play in the Premiership and I am at a club that will be going places.
"I took this opportunity because the club speaks volumes for itself. We have a great bunch of players and staff also, and hopefully they can get the best out of the players.
"I needed a change and I wanted a change, and I was coming to a club that will be going places.
"Hopefully at the end of this season, we will be in the Premiership and we can just go from strength to strength."
The Black Cats are 10th in the Coca-Cola Championship, three points off the play-off places, but former Wrexham winger Edwards admitted manager Roy Keane's ambition to move up was a major factor in his decision to head north.
He said: "With Roy Keane being the manager of Sunderland, I did not take me a split-second to accept the offer.
"It was the ideal thing, it was the first thing. He is a young manager who has been places and won things that most players have not even dreamt of winning.
"That had a big part to play. I could not refuse the opportunity of coming back up to the north to sign for Sunderland."
Keane was delighted to have landed one of his major targets within days of the opening of the transfer window, and is confident the newcomer, an international team-mate of Dwight Yorke, will plug a gap in his squad.
He said: "We have been looking out for players and trying to get players in the right position because I have had to chop and change a lot.
"I have been looking for somebody to play wide right who has an attacking ability, and Carlos came to mind.
"We have had him watched and he played up here a couple of weeks ago. Dwight Yorke spoke kindly of him and we are delighted to get him and delighted to get him so early as well in the transfer window."
Edwards' arrival was followed swiftly by that of 19-year-old Manchester United central defender Jonny Evans, who has joined the club on loan until the end of the season. However, hopes that he could be followed by right-back Phil Bardsley, 21, appear to be receding.
Keane said: "The longer it goes on, the more you get worried, but we have put a good offer to him and if he accepts it, well and good, I will be delighted. If not, then life goes on and I wish him well."
However, the Black Cats received a setback today, with the news Graham Kavanagh will be out of action for up to 10 weeks after undergoing another knee operation.
Keane told the club's official website,
www.safc.com: "It will rule him out for possibly nine or 10 weeks, as long as that.
"Kav has got to learn from it. He probably pushed himself too hard from the previous injury. He's got to learn to give his body time to recover, he's paying for it now.
"I had a feeling he would need the operation - he had one or two tweaks recently.
"He was in the squad against Preston and he felt it in the warm-up. We just thought 'right, let's go and get it sorted'."
The 33-year-old signing from Wigan underwent a knee cartilage operation in September, which sidelined him for five weeks.
