It was one of the worst kept secrets of the January transfer window – especially as he was in attendance looking a bit glum during the Manchester City defeat – but Aston Villa have tonight announced the arrival of hugely experienced goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
The 37-year-old Spanish international stopper is well known in the Premier League following his lengthy spell with Liverpool earlier in his career and although game time at AC Milan has been limited in the last 18 odd months, you don’t count the likes of Barcelona, Villareal, Napoli and Bayern Munich amongst your clubs for nothing.
#BienvenidoPepe! 🇪🇸#AVFC @PReina25 pic.twitter.com/drAFBC1zJh
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 13, 2020
The World Cup winner arrives at Villa Park on a loan deal for the remainder of the campaign and most assume he will take over the No 1 spot from injured Tom Heaton, and quoted by the BBC head coach Dean Smith said of the capture.
“We’ve managed to secure a player in Pepe who has a wealth of Premier League experience. At the start of the summer we were looking for an experienced goalkeeper and brought in Tom Heaton. Unfortunately, his injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season but Pepe fits our criteria not just because of his experience but also because of his leadership qualities.”
Watch @PReina25’s first interview as an Aston Villa player, exclusively on VillaTV now! 👊#BienvenidoPepe #AVFC
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 13, 2020
Welcome to the club Pepe, now lets Reina in that goals against tally. (I know, very poor!)
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