Villa's Tonev joins Celtic on loan
- adamhigginsuk
- Aug 12, 2014
- 2 min read
Out of favour: Tonev struggled to nail down a regular place in Villa's starting line-up and was not part of Paul Lambert's plans for the coming season (Picture from Zimbio.com)
CELTIC have signed Aston Villa midfielder Aleksandar Tonev on a season-long loan, with the option to move permanently next summer.
Tonev joined Villa from Lech Poznan for £2.5 million in June 2013 but made just eight starts for the Premier League club last term, with a further 12 appearances from the bench.
The Bulgarian international, 24, becomes the Scottish champions' third summer signing after Cardiff loanee Jo Inge Berget and goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who arrived on a free transfer.
"Joining Celtic is unbelievable, and I feel really good about it," Tonev told the club's official website.
"I'm delighted to have joined the club and I can't wait to meet up with my new team-mates and start playing for Celtic."
Tonev hopes to follow in the footsteps of his fellow countryman Stiliyan Petrov, who became a Parkhead legend after spending seven years in Glasgow before moving south of the border to Villa.
"I already knew all about Celtic. Everybody in Bulgaria knows Celtic. I spoke to Stiliyan Petrov yesterday and he was very happy for me," the winger added.
"He wished me good luck and I hope I can do as well for Celtic as Stiliyan did."
Tonev has three goals for his country in 15 caps but did not find the net during his season-stay in the Midlands.
Although, Celtic manager Ronny Deila believes he has more to offer than he was able to show in England.
Deila told Celtic's website: "Aleksandar's a very quick player and he has two good feet which he can shoot with.
"He has scored a lot of goals during his time at Lech Poznan and I think he can help bring the club forward with his qualities. We can also make him better."
Last updated: 12 August 2014 08:24am
Comentarios