Bristol City have confirmed that they have doubled their money after letting their Australian midfielder join Championship rivals Crystal Palace.
Nick Carle, who was part of the side that knocked Palace out of the Championship playoffs last season, has signed a four-year deal at Selhurt Park for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £1million.
Carle was only signed last January from Turkish side Genclerbirligi in January for £500,000, so the reported fee means City have made half a million pounds in only six months.
Carle, who played 20 times for Bristol City last season, including the playoff final, was happy to stay at Ashton Gate, but the lure of a bigger club was too strong for the 26-year-old:
I’m very excited to be here, I know a fair bit about Palace having played against them four times last season.
It’s a massive club. I’ve got ambitions and after speaking to Neil Warnock my decision was easy – he sounds like a real winner.
This move can be seen as Warnock taking a hard line with midfielder Ben Watson, who has turned down numerous offers of a new contract. The arrival of Carle signals that Warnock has had enough with the 22-year-old’s stalling.