Birmingham wrap up triple Brentford raid

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Jota: Scored 12 goals since returning in January

Birmingham completed a triple swoop from Championship rivals Brentford as Spanish winger Jota joined for an undisclosed club-record fee and was followed by defender Maxime Colin.

The pair made the move less than 24 hours after defender Harlee Dean also swapped Griffin Park for Birmingham.

The 26-year-old Jota has put pen to paper on a four-year contract at St Andrew’s, arriving for a sum that eclipses the £6million Blues paid Valencia for Nikola Zigic in 2010.

“We are all sorry to see Jota leave,” Brentford head coach Dean Smith told the club’s official website.

“He had an extremely productive period for us last season when he returned from his loan spell with Eibar. It was a pleasure to work with him and be involved with some of the special performances he produced – the goal against QPR quickly comes to mind.

“I believe the speculation around his future has not helped him repeat those performances this season but he has never shied away from playing and training. He was a positive influence around the place and we all wish him well for his future career.”

Jota, who joined Brentford in August 2014, made 78 appearances for the Bees, scoring 23 goals.

Twenty-five-year-old Colin later joined him in the midlands.

He has been with Brentford since moving from Anderlecht in 2015.

Smith said: “We are disappointed to lose Maxime. He has been a consistent performer for us over the past 18 months but with his value being met, he made the decision to leave. We wish him well for his future career”.