 Hamann joined Liverpool from Newcastle for �8m in July 1999 |
Manchester City have hit back against allegations from Bolton chairman Phil Gartside that they "tapped up" new signing Dietmar Hamann. The German midfielder signed for City on Wednesday after initially leaving Liverpool for Bolton.
An angry Gartside said: "There's something that's gone on."
But a City spokesman said: "It must have been a blow to lose a player of Hamann's calibre, but we conducted ourselves in a proper manner."
Gartside said: "There's something that's gone on - Dietmar and his agent went into Liverpool and said the only club he wanted to sign for was Bolton.
"He must have been tapped up by Manchester City. I feel very insulted and I think Bolton fans deserve better that that.
"For someone like Dietmar Hamann to have treated us the way he has is absolutely disgraceful.
"He rang me when I was in Germany and he felt like he couldn't travel to Bolton because it's too far from the Wirral, irrespective of the fact that City is probably further away than Bolton."
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