Robert Pires finalises six-month deal with Aston Villa
Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires' move to Aston Villa was finalised on Thursday 18 November as the Frenchman signed a six-month contract that will keep him at the club until the end of the current season.
Pires, who won two league titles and three FA Cups while playing for Arsenal between 2000 and 2006, has been on a hiatus from football since Spanish side Villareal let him go at the end of last season.
In October, the midfielder frequented Arsenal's training ground to sustain his fitness, prompting speculation that he would soon join a Premier League club.
Villa boss Gerard Houllier has now scooped up the 37-year-old, who was voted Arsenal's sixth best player of all time by the club's fans in 2008.
"I can't wait to play and put on that new shirt," Pires told the club's official website after the deal was announced. "I am very happy to join Aston Villa because it's a big club in England. I am also thrilled to have the chance of working with Gerard Houllier."
Villa looking for experience
Pires, who won the 1998 World Cup with France and triumphed at the European championships two years later, will provide the experience Houllier is looking for in his team.
"He has vast experience and was a fantastic player in the Premier League for Arsenal," Houllier's assistant Gary McAllister said upon the player's arrival. "People thought he was coming to the end of his career but he went to Villareal and done well there
for several seasons."
During his time in Spain, Pires shifted from the left wing to central midfield, where Villa have recently suffered injuries to Stylian Petrov and Nigel Reo-Coker.
"He will want to gain the respect of the fact that he is still competitive and still able to do a job at this level," added McAllister.
Pires could make his Premier League debut for Villa against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday 21 November.
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