Villa finally seal Davies deal

Aston Villa FC have signed centre-back Curtis Davies from West Bromwich Albion FC on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent move worth in the region of €15m.

Defensive strengthening
The Premier League side's manager, Martin O'Neill, had made the 22-year-old defender his No1 target for much of the summer, although the West Midlands rivals struggled to negotiate a deal. He now has his man, with Davies becoming the second centre-half to arrive at Villa Park in three days following the €5.25m capture of Zat Knight from Fulham FC. A product of the Wimbledon FC academy, former England Under-21 international Davies has been coveted ever since making his debut for Luton Town FC aged 18. He joined West Brom for €4.5m in 2004 but since they were relegated in May 2006 he had been keen to return to the English top flight.

Salifou signing
Meanwhile, Aston Villa also signed 24-year-old Togo international Moustapha Salifou for an undisclosed fee from Swiss outfit FC Wil 1900. The midfielder played in all three of his country's matches at last summer's FIFA World Cup in Germany and O'Neill sees him as another important signing. "He has great determination to succeed at this level and may well prove to be an excellent asset," said the Irishman.