Peterborough United finally complete the signing of experienced central defender
Peterborough United have now completed the signing of veteran central defender Tom Lees.
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony suggested the deal was off during the latest edition of his ‘Hard Truth’ podcast because of a failed medical.
But Posh manager Darren Ferguson corrected the record in behalf of the club on Friday morning saying the signing was very much on, once a couple of extra medical procedures had been carried out.
Lees has now satisfied the Posh medical staff and has signed a contract of an undisclosed length. He was a free agent after leaving Huddersfield Town at the end of last season and Posh made contact once club skipper and first-choice centre-back Sam Hughes was ruled out with for three months because of an achilles injury.
Posh boss Darren Ferguson said: "Tom is a really good signing for us. We were looking for an experienced defender, someone who can come in and help the group.
"He has played all of his career at a higher level, he came in and trained with us and was excellent, fitted in straight away and is exactly what we need.
"He can play in a back three or in a four and brings a lot of knowledge to the club and it will be a great example to others in terms of the way he trains and plays.
"There was no issue with the medical side of it as we were just waiting for a second opinion, which we have now obtained. Tom will need to get up to speed as he hasn't featured in pre-season, but he is an incredible professional and I am looking forward to working with him.”
Lees has made over 650 career appearances, most of them for big Yorkshire-based clubs. Lees started his career at Leeds United before moving to Sheffield Wednesday and then Huddersfield. He has also experienced loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Bury.
Lees played 32 times for Huddersfield last season, but didn’t appear after a February win at Shrewsbury Town. Lees has scored 15 career goals, including two in a 3-0 win for Huddersfield in a Championship fixture against Posh at the John Smith’s Stadium in March, 2022.
Posh expect to unveil another new signing on Monday.