Bristol City finally announced the signing of Tomas Kalas on Monday evening with the confirmation that the Czech Republic international has signed a four-year deal.
And his head coach has had his say on the official club website regarding the background to the deal.
We understand that Chelsea will receive a fee in the region of £8m in total for Kalas, and that makes it a club record deal, overtaking the £5.3m splashed out to bring Famara Diedhiou to the club in the summer of 2017.
Lee Johnson has pointed towards City CEO Mark Ashton and the Bristol City board as they have clinched the big money switch - ahead of the likes of Celtic, Rangers and further European clubs, as we understand it.
“We saw last season the qualities he brings and Tomas is exactly the type of player we want to build our team around," said Lee Johnson.
"Not only is he a fantastic footballer but someone with a winning mentality.
"A lot of credit should go to Mark Ashton, Jon Lansdown and the Bristol City Board for the hard work in making this happen."
Meanwhile CEO Ashton has confirmed how tough the deal was to pull off, with much competition for the 26-year-old.
"We are thrilled Tomas has committed his future to Bristol City for a club-record fee and I know it is a signing which City supporters have been eagerly hoping for," he told the club website.
"A player of Tomas’ stature naturally attracts a lot of interest but we worked hard to secure his services which I believe shows a lot about our ambition. All credit as well to Chelsea who have been excellent to deal with regarding Jay (Dasilva) and now Tomas."
