Kinsella waves Charlton goodbye

Republic of Ireland international Mark Kinsella has completed a €1.57m move to Aston Villa FC.

Off to Birmingham
The Charlton Athletic FC midfield player agreed to join the Birmingham club just a day after his Irish colleague Matt Holland refused a transfer to Villa Park from Ipswich Town FC.

'Great ambitions'
The 30-year-old Kinsella, who has won 33 caps for his country, told Villa's official website: "The manager and the chairman both have great ambitions. I know one or two players have left during the summer but that happens at every club, and I'm delighted to fill one of the gaps. I'm looking forward to the future with Villa. It's a massive club and I want to help to bring success here."

Curbishley's blessing
Kinsella made 226 appearances for Charlton but was no longer in the starting lineup. Charlton manager Alan Curbishley said: "I told Mark at the start of the season that my first-choice midfield pairing would be Claus Jensen and Scott Parker. He was naturally very disappointed and, at 30 years of age and as club captain, regular first-team football is what he needed because of his international career."