Villa snare Heskey but lose Laursen

Aston Villa FC have bolstered their squad by signing England striker Emile Heskey from Wigan Athletic FC for €3.7m but will be without captain Martin Laursen for eight weeks following knee surgery.

Leicester link
Heskey, 31, will be reunited with Martin O'Neill having played for the Villa manager at his first club, Leicester City FC. The striker, who has five goals in 50 appearances for his country, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract at Villa Park and will ease the burden on their forward line given John Carew has not played since November due to a back injury. "I am very excited," said the former Liverpool FC and Birmingham City FC player. "It's a big club, I'm delighted to be here and can't wait to put on the shirt." O'Neill added: "I am absolutely delighted – he has been a brilliant player for a number of years and this is great news."

Russian challenge
However, Laursen will miss Villa's UEFA Cup Round of 32 tie against PFC CSKA Moskva after the Danish centre-back underwent surgery for a knee problem. The 31-year-old joined from AC Milan in 2004 following spells at Silkeborg IF, Hellas-Verona FC and Parma FC, and has scored eight goals in 84 appearances for the Birmingham club. He was used sparingly in the UEFA Cup during the autumn, making just one group-stage appearance as O'Neill's side finished third in Group F. Villa lie fourth in the Premier League, three points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal FC.