BLACKBURN Rovers stalwart Jason Wilcox confessed last night that he was disappointed Blackburn had decided to end his 14-year association with the club by selling him to Leeds United.

But having left Ewood Park in a deal that could rise to £3.7 million, Wilcox has now set his sights on trying to win a second Premiership title.

Despite losing his place in the Blackburn side following Tony Parkes' initial appointment as caretaker manager, Wilcox, who since returned for two games following an injury to Damien Duff, said he was prepared to stay at Ewood and fight for his shirt.

But that all changed when Premiership leaders Leeds landed Wilcox at the third attempt yesterday, as reported in later editions of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

"It came out of the blue. Tony Parkes rang me on Thursday and said they had had an offer from a Premiership club which they had accepted, and asked whether I was interested.

"Really once Blackburn decided to sell me there wasn't really a decision to make," Wilcox explained.

"Of course it disappointed me. I had always considered myself to be a one-club man. I had been at Blackburn for 14 years and given 110 per cent every week and I would like to thank the people who haave supported me through good times and bad. I appreciated everyone."

He added: "Blackburn wanted to sell me. I didn't go searching for a transfer. No way did I jump ship. I signed a five-year contract last year when we were going to be relegated.

"But there are no ill feelings. I will be coming back to watch the lads and I've made some great friends over the years." Having won one Premeirship winners' medal with Rovers in 1995, Wilcox has now joined a side leading this season's title race and in the last 16 stages of the Uefa Cup.

"Once I found out it was Leeds and Blackburn had agreed to sell me there wasn't a lot that could be said to alter my thinking then," confirmed Wilcox, who agreed a four-and-half-year deal at Elland Road to end an assocation with Blackburn that began as a trainee and saw him clock up over 300 first-team appearances for the club.

The 28-year-old winger, capped twice by England, added: "I spoke to David O'Leary and the chairman and they impressed me greatly. It's a fantastic club with a fantastic tradition, like Blackburn.

"All good things come to an end and I am a Leeds United player and I will give them everything.

"Leeds are one of those teams in with a chance of winning the Premiership. They are an-up-and-coming side with some great young players and from what the manager and chairman told me they are a club that's going places and when I got the chance to be part of that I jumped at it.

"Now the medical and contract talks are out of the way the hardest part has been done and I'm thrilled to bits and can't wait to join up with them now." Wilcox could make a high profile debut at Chelsea tomorrow with a place on the bench possibly easing him into his new surroundings. I'm going to travel down with them and it would be great to be involved in some way but the last couple of days have been a bit of a merry-go-round. But once I've sat down and it's all sunk in I will get down to working with Leeds and doing my bit," he said.

Wilcox becomes the last of the regulars of the championship winning side to leave Ewood Park although Jeff Kenna, who arrived towards the end of that campaign, remains.

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