Aston Villa sign Jan Bednarek and keep Douglas Luiz
Villa completed a deadline day swoop for Southampton defender Jan Bednarek as they rejected three bids from Arsenal for Douglas Luiz.
The last of those totalled £25million but Villa stood firm despite the fact the Brazilian midfielder, who has decided not to sign a new contract, could now leave for free next summer.
Bednarek arrived on a season-long loan to plug the gap left by the injured Diego Carlos, having chosen a move to Villa over West Ham.
“I’m happy, excited and looking forward to a new adventure,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for me and another great step. It’s really important for me to move to a bigger club and to improve as a player, and Villa is the best place for me to do that."
“It’s a massive club in England. Coming from Poland, I wasn’t aware how big Villa are.
“I think the fans are amazing, the stadium’s amazing and also the training ground. I’m really happy to be joining.”
Teenage midfielder Tim Iroegbunam reunited with former Villa assistant boss Michael Beale by joining QPR for the season. But out-of-favour duo Morgan Sanson and Frederic Guilbert both failed to secure moves away before the deadline.
