Manchester City have signed former England Under-21 goalkeeper Stuart Taylor from Aston Villa in a move that will allow Joe Hart to leave Eastlands on loan.
Taylor, who follows Gareth Barry from Villa Park to City, will serve as back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Shay Given, with Hart expected to join Birmingham City in a season-long switch in the coming days.
The 28-year-old Taylor spent four years at Villa after joining from Arsenal.
Taylor revealed he chose City after speaking to Villa's number one Brad Friedel, who knows boss Mark Hughes from their days together at Blackburn.
"I talked to Brad for some advice and he couldn't speak highly enough of the manager and his goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchcock," Taylor told City's official website.
"He has a high regard for Kevin as a person as well as a coach and I can't wait to start. This is a fantastic club to be joining, a club that is going places with a great new owner and a manager I have a lot of respect for."
Taylor, who collected a Premier League winner's medal with Arsenal in 2002, spent part of last season on loan at Cardiff after falling down the Villa pecking order behind Friedel and Brad Guzan.
However, Hughes believes he is the right man to keep pressure on Given.
"We are delighted to be able to add a goalkeeper of Stuart's undoubted calibre to the squad," Hughes said.
"Stuart is still a fairly young goalkeeper at 28 but he provides a wealth of experience and reliability."
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steve virtually every club in the premiership has had movement in on players except villa who have signed some 17yr old unheard of bargain, then i worry when he signs idiots like heskey who has failed badly for every club he has played for since leicester and he has failed for villa( scoring only two simple goals since he joined) he has scored more for england, as a place in the england squad is not gteed, but his basic salary from villa is gteed. we cant even get rid of the donkey harewood, and i repeat again is MON gonna pick up the leftovers whilst other clubs have signed the cream of the crops? early bird catches the worm.
rahul, you've been venting off since before the end of the season! Take a chill pill, you'll stress yourself into an early grave.
I'm sure MON is working away...If we get to the start of the season without any new signings, then yes - then go mental, as quite a lot of us will!
Didn't even realise he was still at the club, Mark Hughes know something we don't.... weird...
MON what the hell are you waiting for?? the scraps??? start signing and building a team now so they players get to know one another properly!!!!!!!!!! HOW FRUSTRATING BEEN A VILLA FAN
Funny old game!
hes a skudd book
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