Swansea manager Garry Monk has expressed surprise that he has been able to capture Jack Cork from Southampton.
Cork completed his move to Swansea after having medical on Friday afternoon in south Wales to put the finishing touches on the 3 million-pound deal.
FULL STORY: #Swans sign @SouthamptonFC midfielder @jackcork1 on three-and-a-half year deal - http://t.co/ANW2AA2T6G pic.twitter.com/NvHR4eDiKn
- Swansea City FC (@SwansOfficial) January 30, 2015
Swansea head to Southampton on Sunday for a Premier League game but Cork's signing will come too late for the 25-year-old to make his debut for the club at St Mary's.
"We're just trying to finalise things and hopefully have an announcement pretty soon," Monk said at his pre-match news conference. "It's hopefully more or less a done deal and it's a good move for us.
"I pushed a little bit for him to come in the summer, but it didn't happen because he was committed to Southampton and going forward with them.
"But when the opportunity came up again in this window, we were happy to have the chance to bring him in.
"I was surprised a little bit he was available. I understand an offer of a new contract was in place at Southampton, but for whatever reasons he felt he didn't want to sign it.
"He wanted to come here and we have showed the same enthusiasm to sign him, so that's a good recipe."
Cork has played nearly 130 games since joining Southampton in 2011 but he has started only five Premier League matches since Ronald Koeman was appointed Saints manager last summer.
The 25-year-old has grown frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities at St Mary's and told Koeman he will not be extending his contract past the end of the campaign.
"The latest news is that Jack is now in Swansea," Koeman said on Friday. "I said before that the club offered him a very good contract but his feeling was not good to stay more time in the club.
"He likes to play more games, I can't guarantee players that."
Cork has struggled to dislodge Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Steve Davis from the Southampton midfielder but Monk said he was impressed with Cork's pedigree.
"He's got good experience at this level and he is a British player which is good," Monk said. "He has a Chelsea background as well so he has got good pedigree, and he is at a good age to develop into a top midfielder.
"Jack will add to quality we already have at the club and my job is to mould him slightly into what we want to do here."
But Monk said Swansea's move to sign Norwich full-back Martin Olsson had stumbled with the two clubs unable to agree on a valuation for the Swedish international.
"We have our valuation of players and other clubs will have theirs of what players are worth," Monk said. "If it doesn't meet a deal won't be done and that's the same with every negotiation you go into.
"We put a bid in [for Olsson] but it doesn't look as if the two clubs will agree on a valuation -- and that's where that deal is right now."