Aleksandar Tonev is looking forward to becoming an important part ofPaul Lambert's young and hungry Aston Villa team as the 23-year-oldattacking midfield player completed a medical and agreed terms today atBodymoor Heath.
With a deal agreed between Villa and Polish club Lech Poznan, thefinal paperwork will be completed next week to rubberstamp Tonev's move.
His arrival in England has been made easy by the presence of formerVilla and Bulgarian international captain Stiliyan Petrov who welcomedhis compatriot to the Bodymoor Heath Training Ground.
Tonev lined up alongside Petrov when he made his international debutagainst Wales in October 2011 in Sofia and he is determined to make hisown mark in the Barclays Premier League.
"I am really happy to be part of Aston Villa and I am really proud tobe able to pull the shirt on," Tonev said. "Aston Villa is a big cluband the manager and club have a belief in young players and in the teamethic. Football is not about the individuals. It's a team sport and allsuccessful teams play well together. That's what you can see at Villa,the team is playing together.
"I am part of the team now and I am hungry for success. I want toshow everybody what I can really do. I have played in front of bigcrowds before but the atmosphere here in England is unique. The crowd islike a 12th player for the team and I am looking forward to playing infront of the fans.
"I can't wait to start and to meet my team-mates and the manager.When I heard about Aston Villa, I thought about playing in the PremierLeague for such a big club. I wasn't thinking about anything else.
"Stiliyan being here wasn't a massive influence on me coming here.Stiliyan and Dimitar Berbatov have done really well in this league and Ihope I can do the same. They are both great Bulgarian players andhopefully I can do the same and make my mark on the Premier League.
"I have been watching Villa and I know there are some very goodplayers here. I am really looking forward to being part of the team."
Petrov, now assistant development coach at Villa, added: "I playedalongside Aleks, so I know a little bit about what kind of a player heis. The main thing is that the manager likes him as well and the way heplays.
"I think Villa fans have one exciting player on their hands. I thinkthe Club has been monitoring Aleksandar for a few months, they havewatched some games and some DVDs.
"He doesn't have a dominant foot which is really interesting and themain thing about him. He is quick, he is an exciting player and I thinkVilla fans will see he is a good player. He is the kind of player whocan really make an impact in this young, exciting team. We spoke lastnight and he is really looking forward to it. He knows that it will be achallenge but he is ready for it."
Tonev began his career at CSKA Sofia. He made his debut as an18-year-old, coming on as a substitute against Belasitsa Petrich inMarch 2008, playing twice that season as CSKA won the league. He wentout on loan in 2008-09 to Sliven 2000 but returned to Sofia in 2010-11.He played 23 games in the league that season, as well as eight times hisclub's Europa League campaign and three times in the BulgarianCup-winning campaign.
http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3203202,00.html
