Craig Bellamy has completed his move from West Ham to Manchester City for a fee believed to be around £14million after the striker passed a medical and agreed personal terms.
The Wales forward has agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Blues to keep him at the club until June 2013 and is expected to make his debut against former side Newcastle on January 28.
Bellamy originally wanted to join Tottenham but once West Ham made it clear they were not going to let the striker join their London rivals, he quickly agreed to link up again with countryman Mark Hughes.
"I am delighted to be working with Craig once more," Hughes told the club's website. "He is an outstanding player who provides us with qualities that we are slightly lacking. "He has blistering pace, has bags of of enthusiasm and has a superb attitude to training. He will be a great addition to the squad."
Bellamy and Hughes have worked together twice before, at Blackburn and with Wales, and the forward accepts his countryman seems to know what makes him tick. "Knowing Mark and his coaching team were here was a big factor," said Bellamy.
"They are people that I have worked with since I was 18. They know me better than anybody else in the football game and they are people I completely trust in. "I feel I am at my peak and I hope over the next few years to perform really well here."
Despite the acrimonious end to his time at Upton Park, Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola sent him off with his blessings. "I wish him all the best and I hope he does well and finds what he is looking for. I am very happy with what he has done for me and now he has decided to go somewhere else," he told the club's website.
"We wanted to keep him but he wanted a new challenge and we respect that. For our fans, I can say again that we want to achieve a high level so we are looking for players that can help us make that happen."
Zola insists he will be allowed to spend the money made from the sale of Bellamy. "Yes, I will get the money. We are looking for a replacement and we will find something," Zola said.
"It is important to deal with the situation as soon as possible. "I haven't set a deadline, but it needs to be soon because I need to get on with my squad. "I need to work out how we can sort things out, so it needs to be quick. My job is to make it work on the pitch and that is what I am trying to do.
"The club will deal with all the other matters. They know what I think about the situation and that is enough." While his combustible temperament has seen Bellamy get into trouble far too often, when fit he is a major attacking weapon. Crucially, he is also free to play in the remainder of City's UEFA Cup campaign.
Bellamy will join his new team-mates at a training camp in Tenerife, where he could joined by Holland international Nigel de Jong, who is also reportedly close to joining the Blues.