Dundee's Argentinian goalkeeper, Julian Speroni, has agreed a new three-year deal to stay at the club, alleviating fans' fears that the player would seek to leave Dens Park on a Bosman free transfer.

Speroni was out of contract during the summer and a new contract offer remained unsigned during the period when manager Ivano Bonetti left the club to be succeeded by Jim Duffy.

But chief executive Peter Marr insisted the delay had been caused only by the need to translate the document into Spanish. He said on the club's official website: ''The only difficulty was him understanding the wording of his contract.''

Marr acknowledged that the club had been in a state of flux for a while, with Bonetti's departure coming as no surprise. There had also been a high-profile court case following an alleged assault on a player who had fallen out with Bonetti.

Marr confirmed that the player, Patrizio Billio, and fellow Italian outcast Marco de Marchi had both left the club.

He said: ''It has also been a difficult time personally with the very public trial of the alleged assault on Billio. It took up a lot of time that could have been spent on better projects.

''Billio and De Marchi have left the club after UEFA cancelled their contracts.''