Aston Villa sign winger Routledge from Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa bolster their midfield options with the capture of Routledge
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Wednesday, 30, Jan 2008 09:02
Aston Villa have signed winger Wayne Routledge from Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of £1.5 million.
The 23-year-old passed a medical with the west-Midlands club today and secured the move having agreed to a one-and-a-half year deal.
Spurs confirmed the transfer had been finalised, though no fee was officially announced, the statement said: "We have reached agreement for the transfer of Wayne Routledge to Aston Villa."
Routledge is Villa's first signing of the January transfer window as Martin O'Neill looks to bolster his squad with one day remaining before the window closes.
The former England under-21 international will hope the move to Villa will help kick-start his career after an unsuccessful spell at White Hart Lane.
Routledge had been on the periphery of the Spurs squad since joining them from Crystal Palace in 2005. The winger was injured in his first Premier League outing for Spurs and then found it difficult to win his place back in the side from Aaron Lennon.
Having spent six months on-loan at Portsmouth during the 2005-6 season, Routledge then spent last season on-loan with Fulham where he made 28 appearances for the Cottagers.
Routledge could provide balance to a Villa midfield which already boasts Ashley Young on the left flank, though he may face stiff competition from Stiliyan Petrov for a starting place on the right of midfield.
Former side Fulham could provide the opposition for Routledge's first game in a Villa shirt when Martin O'Neill's men travel to London on Sunday.