Return to Monmore for Howe

The 24-year-old spent last year on loan at Oxford, but returns next season as Parrys International Wolves look to bolster their middle order.

"It's the move I wanted," he said. "I didn't want to leave Wolves in the first place. When the opportunity arose it was perfect for me."

Howe met Wolves promoter Chris Van Straaten last night and a deal was agreed quickly.

"We're delighted to have him confirmed as our first signing for 2007," said Van Straaten. "He only went to Oxford last year because there was a late change in the expected points limit. David was the guy who missed out."

Van Straaten revealed that Howe could have been back in the fold part way through last season.

"When the first set of averages came out his average was disappointingly low, although it picked up later," he said. "At that stage we received an approach from Oxford: Did we want him back?"

Such a move could have laid both club and rider open to unfair suggestions of deliberately deflating his scoring to engineer a switch.

"While the offer was very tempting, it isn't the way we would want to do things," said Van Straaten. "The stigma would have been huge. It didn't seem in the spirit of things.

"I didn't believe David would have wanted that anyway. I didn't talk to David at that time."

Howe looked marked for great things as a precociously talented teenager, but his progress has faltered following serious leg injuries and fluctuations in form.

"We had a long chat in September when Oxford were at Wolverhampton," said Van Straaten. "He said he was giving serious thought to stepping down to the Premier League.

"But we don't have enough British riders in the top flight as it is. He would have settled into the lower level and the chance to progress would have gone.

"I told him: 'I still have immense belief in your potential.' And if he wanted to be in the Elite League there was only one club he really wanted to race for."