Peterborough United sold Dembele because of doubts about his commitment to a relegation battle

Siriki Dembele during his last Posh apperarance against West Brom on January 22.

Posh had said they would not allow Dembele to leave on transfer deadline day as there would be no time to find a replacement.

But, after conversations with the player and manager Darren Ferguson, there was a change of heart at the top of the club.

MacAnthony insists the deal is worth more than the £1.5 million reported elsewhere, but claimed the decision was a football one rather than financial.

MacAnthony also revealed Dembele had been absent for the last two games with a ‘sore foot’ even though scans could find no sign of a problem.

“Trust me we would have loved to have had Dembele available for the last two games,” MacAnthony said. “He said he had a sore foot so we sent him for scans that didn’t show anything, but the boy didn’t feel able to play.

“And then on Saturday, 20 minutes before kick off against Sheffield United, he came to see me to tell me he only wanted to join one club and that was Bournemouth.

“We’d accepted offers from Birmingham and Blackburn at this time and Bournemouth were at the same stage they were when making bids last week.

“I told him I had more important things going on like a big game. Staying in the Championship is the most important thing of all.

“After the game I had a chat with my manager and we agreed to let him go to Bournemouth. We need every player and every fan onside for the last 19 games.

“He’s been sold for more money than has been reported, but this was a football decision not a financial one. If we’d kept him he could have signed a pre-contract for a life-changing sum of money in February and would he then give us everything for four months and run the risk of getting injured?

“I get all that and good luck to him. He’s been here four years and I wish him well.”

Posh did not attempt to sign a direct replacement for Dembele, but the club hierarchy have been impressed with the form of Kwame Poku in the last couple of matches. They are also confident Joel Randall has the quality to make an impact.