After much cat and mouse deadline day shenanigans, Paul Lambert finally got his man Tom Cleverley on loan, 16 hours after the transfer deadline. The deal now will be a loan from Manchester United until at least January, when Villa are reported to have first dabs on a permanent deal at the price of £7.5 million.
Here’s what Cleverley and his new manager had to say about the move…
Tom Cleverley Interview Quotage
Champions League Winning Midfield Lure
“The prospect of working under the manager and Roy, who were both fantastic midfielders in their playing careers, made the decision to come to Villa an easy one.
“I’m looking forward to working with them but also the other really good midfield players that the club have, like Fabian Delph, Ashley Westwood and other new lads like Kieran Richardson, Joe Cole and Carlos Sanchez.”
Task Ahead
“I’ve been watching Villa games this year and it’s been a really good start and, with the upcoming fixtures all big games, hopefully I can bring a bit of big game experience and add to the squad and help us to win some games.
“It’s a team that plays the style of football that I like. They play with high energy, they pass and move and there are a lot of good young players. The manager told me the way that he’d like me to play and it all sat perfectly for me. I’m very happy to be coming down to play for Villa.”
Villa Park
“Villa Park is one of those grounds that I always look forward to playing at. The pitch is always fantastic, the atmosphere is always good and it’s one of those historic grounds that you always remember. It’s had FA Cup semi-finals and even England games when Wembley was being renovated so it’s a very historic ground and it’s somewhere I’m really looking forward to playing my club football.”
England Ambition
“The thing I am concentrating on though is trying to come in and hit the ground running so I can help Aston Villa. Playing football is what matters most to me and I’m looking forward to getting back to what I know I can do. This is the kind of club where I can do that and hopefully as a by-product of that I can get back in the England team.”
The Lambert Line
Here’s what the Villa boss Paul Lambert had to say on his final summer signing…
Big Game Man
“Tom brings big game experience to the Club, he’s played international football for England and he still has great potential to kick on in his career.
There’s a lot of good football ahead of him if he performs the way we think he can perform and we’re delighted to have been able to bring him in to join the group.”
Villa Progress
“Allied to the players we had brought in already during the window as well as the strong start we’ve made to the season, this is another good step forward and we want to continue to build on our progress into the season.”
To read our earlier article on a United fan viewpoint to what Tom Cleverley potentially brings to the Villa team, click here
is there any other better club that will help him get back into the England squad ? i think not.
Good luck Tom and thank you. Hope it all works out for the better
Can’t believe we got him on a trial this is nothing but a positive for the Villa (even though he looks like a crimewatch wanted poster) we may have been the second lowest spenders this time around but it all looks good.
I agree. Fairly decent window – made good steps in tackling the midfield with Cleverley, Sanchez, Cole, Richardson and the return of N’Zogbia and the rise of Grealish. I think Cleverley with his tenacity gives us a better chance in the next five games too. Just a shame Benteke isn’t back for them too.
I am thankful to the boardroom and mgt team for making this possible. And the loan to buy is a bonus as if he does become like Djemba-Djemba, we won’t have him on the wages for long. But I suspect he has a bit to prove and will return to previous form.
Yes, the club did a good job in getting this one over the line, after missing out on other midfield targets the past couple of seasons. I think because he’s got a lot to prove, Cleverley will rise to the challenge.
I am very happy with this one. Yes, the nonsense on deadline day put me off a bit but originally I wanted him to sign and he is here now after all. The big plus points are the amount of top level experience he has relative to his age.
Good signing.