Glenn Whelan joins Aston Villa from Stoke City on two-year deal
As expected, Stoke City central midfielder Glenn Whelan has joined Aston Villa. The Republic of Ireland international becomes Steve Bruce’s fourth signing of the summer. Whelan signs for two years.
After a decade at the Britannia, Glenn Whelan left Stoke City. Whelan, 33, is now a Villan.
Terms of the deal were not revealed, however, it was reported in the previous few days that a fee of £1.5 million was accepted.
Similar to the signing of Ahmed Elmohamady on Tuesday, this deal probably won’t be that popular with the Aston Villa faithful. Again, not because Whelan is a bad player, but because of the player’s age coupled with the numbers in central midfield.
Glenn Whelan provides manager Steve Bruce the perfect outlet to Mile Jedinak’s absence in the number six role. Whether it’s through injury, international duty, or old age, Jedinak will miss time this season, and Aston Villa proved awful when the Aussie wasn’t in the lineup.
After nearly ten years with #SCFC, Glenn Whelan has today joined @AVFCOfficial on a two-year deal. https://t.co/mVZUEEtAJZ
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) July 20, 2017
Whelan made 338 appearances for Stoke City with eight goals. He is still part of the Ireland set-up as well. He has 81 caps to his name. Ireland’s dream of a World Cup 2018 spot is still in play.
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The club’s two-year deal with the midfielder should help eliminate age risk with the 33-year old. Whelan made 30 Premier League appearances last season with 26 starts.
Since 2008/2009, Whelan made at least 26 Premier League appearances in each season – an ode to his solid fitness. Most of those seasons ended with total matches across all competitions in the high-thirties.
Verdict:
Like yesterday, Steve Bruce got his guy. He’s afforded that luxury after solid showings in 2017. Whelan is a perfect fit for Aston Villa. Time will tell whether Whelan is an automatic starter alongside the likes of Jedinak, Henri Lansbury, and Conor Hourihane.