Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Marco Bizot from Brest as the experienced goalkeeper will fill the void left behind by Robin Olsen.
The Swedish stalwart left the club earlier this month after his contract expired, and so with the need to add cover and depth between the posts, Villa have made their move to bring in Bizot to provide the solution.
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As per the club’s official statement, the Dutch shot-stopper joins us for an undisclosed fee, believed to be relatively low, with the 34-year-old bringing a wealth of experience with him following stints with Brest, AZ Alkmaar, Genk and Groningen after initially coming through the youth ranks at Ajax.
Having showcased his qualities in Ligue 1 last season as well as in the Champions League, Bizot will hopefully prove to be an astute addition to the Villa squad, giving Unai Emery a reliable option to step in and deputise when Emiliano Martinez is either absent through injury or suspension.
Given the speculation over his future this summer thus far though, it remains to be seen if the Argentine ace is still with us when the new season gets underway, but having reported back for pre-season training this week and with the expectation that he will feature heavily in our upcoming friendlies, time will tell if he will ultimately end up staying with us for another year at least.
For Bizot though, he will hopefully be another strong personality and character in the dressing room to challenge the rest of the squad in training if his impact on the pitch in games is limited, and it seems like a smart piece of business from Villa with Joe Gauci potentially sticking around as third-choice goalkeeper to learn from our more experienced duo before perhaps taking on a more prominent role in the long run.
With this void now addressed, Villa can go about their business in other areas of the squad moving forward, with the expectation that we will continue to strengthen in the coming weeks with further reinforcements, while that will likely be balanced with additional exits.
Our latest recruit though has shared his delight over joining Villa, and outlined what he hopes to add to the group as he looks forward to getting settled, adapting and having the entire pre-season to now integrate into Emery’s plans.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” he told VillaTV. “I’m a little bit blown away by the professionalism of the club and the effort everyone put into it. I’m really proud and really happy to be here.
“It’s an amazing club, a big club, and it’s a dream to be at the highest level possible. The contact we’ve had in the last weeks has been of the highest level I’ve ever experienced in my life, and it made it an easy decision to join Aston Villa.
“It’s difficult to bring extra qualities to a club like this and to a squad like this, but everyone has their strengths. I have a lot of experience in multiple countries, I’ve played a lot of matches. I hope I can help the young people and be a good person for all of the goalkeepers to help create a really warm, nice environment for the team. I hope I can do everything possible to help the team and the club in every possible way.
“I can’t wait to get started. I love to work. I’m down-to-earth, I like to interact with people, and I see myself as a normal guy. I want to put my knowledge and my level of experience into the team and everyone in the Aston Villa family.”
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