KARL Robinson admitted he went to some extreme lengths to get Oxford United’s big deadline day deal over the line.

While Ricky Holmes’s loan move from Sheffield United made the biggest impact among supporters, the U’s largest investment was in Jamie Hanson.

A six-figure sum, which Robinson claims was the most he had ever spent on a player as a manager, convinced Derby County to sell.

But that was only half the battle, with other clubs interested.

It meant that after weeks of pursuit, when Hanson arrived in Oxford late on Wednesday night, Robinson made sure as much of the deal could be tied up immediately.

“For us to get him it’s one of the biggest signings of the summer in the league,” the United head coach said.

“It was past midnight we were doing his medical.

“It was such a big one for us that we couldn’t let it go.

“We’ve been chasing him for three weeks, going backwards and forwards trying to get the deal right for everybody.”

He added: “I want to say a massive thank you to everyone at the club.

“They certainly pushed hard to get Jamie Hanson over the line and it’s one where a lot of clubs might have stepped back from.

“We didn’t, we stayed on the front foot, which is great.

“It’s probably up there with what I spent in my whole time at MK, which either shows you how little I’ve spent or how big the fee is.

“It’s down to you to decide which one that is.”

While Hanson, 22, may take time to find his feet, Robinson would expect Holmes to hit the ground runn- ing.

The U’s boss has been singing the winger’s praises for weeks behind the scenes, having worked with him at Charlton Athletic.

And having seen doubts creep in during the last few days, after the move go from what appeared a dead cert last week, it was a relief to get the deal finalised.

And Robinson predicted he would become a firm favourite at United.

He said: “Ricky is a really good guy. He’s unique, he’s a maverick.

“Sometimes they’re difficult to control, but one thing you get with them is moments of magic that other people can’t produce.

“At Charlton we had to sell him and from then on we never recovered as a club. It was that big a dent in the dressing room.”

Although other deals failed to come off, yesterday’s business took Robinson’s incoming deals into double figures this summer.

He said: “The revamp has certainly happened.

“We’ve come back on our budget a little bit as well – from where we were last year we’ve certainly got a better team for less money, which is great.

“It is what it is now, we’re in a good place. We’re ready and raring to go for the next nine months.”