The Two Braddies

While the rest of the team were getting ready for last Saturday’s Intertoto game, Martin O’Neill and Randy Lerner were busy strengthening the Villa squad by negotiating with a second American goalie named Brad; Blackburn’s Brad Friedel.

The veteran keeper has signed a four year contract at The Villa, taking him to the age of 41, after spending the last eight years at Premiership rivals, Blackburn Rovers. Believed to have set us back around £2 million, Friedel is an excellent capture for Villa after being one of the Premiership’s most consistently well performing goalkeepers for many years.

Friedel has been in England for 11 years now, spending 3 years at Liverpool prior to Blackburn, but he didn’t enjoy a great deal of success on Merseyside. However, once he moved to Lancashire he went straight into the first team and helped them secure promotion to the Premier League.

His consistency and reliability between the sticks caught Martin O’Neill’s eye and with the capture of Scott Carson falling through, he became a target.

Friedel becomes the second US keeper on O’Neill’s shopping, with the deal for Brad Guzan all completed except for his work permit. Whether Guzan completes his transfer to Villa this time (he had a work permit rejected in January) hinges on those lovely folk at the UK Immigration Office. The hearing is this Friday, with a positive result expected by O’Neill.

Where this will leave Stuart Taylor in the pecking order is unconfirmed as yet, but his patience may begin to wear thin if he falls to third place and may possibly move on in January or next summer if he doesn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.

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Category: Misc

Tags: Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan, Liverpool, Randy Lerner, Stuart Taylor

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