Petrov heading south to Villa
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Article summary
Bulgaria captain Stilian Petrov has ended a lengthy stay at Scottish champions Celtic FC to join former boss Martin O'Neill at Aston Villa FC in a €9.6m deal.
Article body
Bulgarian international midfielder Stilian Petrov has been reunited with manager Martin O'Neill after completing a €9.6m move from Celtic FC to Aston Villa FC.
Lengthy pursuit
The 27-year-old has signed a four-year deal in Birmingham, ending a lengthy pursuit by the Premiership club and bringing him back together with O'Neill, who was at the Celtic helm for over half of Petrov's seven years in Glasgow. Petrov made 224 Premier League appearances in Scotland, scoring 53 goals, after landing from PFC CSKA Sofia in 1999 but handed in a transfer request this summer. Despite interest from Portsmouth FC, he has joined a Villa side rejuvenated by the arrival of O'Neill and a new owner, in a transfer that could rise to €11.9m subject to appearances.