Graham Alexander delighted Ricki Lamie is staying with Motherwell

Motherwell manager Graham Alexander claimed Dundee made Ricki Lamie an offer he could not refuse in January – so he is delighted the defender has reneged on his transfer.

Lamie has signed a new two-year contract with Motherwell after invoking a relegation clause to get him out of moving to Dens Park.

The 28-year-old was persuaded to sign a pre-contract by then Dee boss James McPake and Motherwell rejected a bid from their cinch Premiership rivals to sign him before the transfer deadline.

That proved a wise decision as Lamie scored the two goals that squeezed Well into the top six and then the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

And with both McPake’s successor Mark McGhee gone and Dundee relegated, Lamie opted to get out of his move.

“We are delighted Ricki has agreed to extend his stay with the club as we hope he will continue to be a big player for us in the coming months and years,” Alexander told his club’s website.

“We were in discussions with his representative for some time, but those were paused when another club made him what was an extremely attractive offer that he had no option but to accept.

“We understood and respected that, but had no concerns around his professionalism and in actual fact he was amongst our most important players in the second half of the campaign.

“When circumstances changed, it presented an opportunity for us and we’re so pleased to not only keep someone who is a big player on the pitch, but an important character off it too.”

Lamie added: “It was a great ending to the season for the team, to finish in the top six and qualify for Europe.

“That being said, I still think we can improve and have got more to give collectively.

“I really want to play a part in that, which is why I am pleased