Bowyer brings Premier League experience to Blues

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has sealed a deal to sign Lee Bowyer on a two-year contract.

The 32-year-old has joined the club on a free transfer after his contract with West Ham expired on 1 July.

Bowyer was on loan at St Andrew's at the end of last season and played 17 games, helping them win promotion to the Premier League.

"I'm very pleased that Lee has signed," McLeish said. "You don't often get a player of Lee's calibre for nothing."

He added: "There's no transfer fee but there's a going rate in terms of wages - and he deserves that. We believe he's certainly still got the ability to justify his status as a Premier League player."

Bowyer's willingness to accept a cut in wages is believed to have aided the completion of the deal.

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Bowyer joins Christian Benitez, Stephen Carr, Scott Dann, Roger Johnson, Joe Hart and Giovanny Espinoza in signing for Birmingham this summer.

The tough-tackling midfielder began his career at Charlton before a £2.8m move to Leeds in 1996, which was a record transfer for a British teenager.

He joined West Ham in 2003 but moved to Newcastle six months later, only to return to Upton Park three years later.

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