Aston Villa have again payed a handsome price to reinforce their threadbare squad forking out £7.8m for spanish journeyman defender Carlos Cuellar. The midlands side has now spent £30m on defensive recruitment alone this transfer window often drawing criticism for paying over the odds for English talent thus driving the price of homegrown talent up and making foreign players more attractive targets for Premier league managers.

Cuellar was Rangers player of the season last term but will have to adapt quickly to the massive gulf between the SPL and Premier League something fellow old firm recruit Stilian Petrov has failed to do so far. The 26 year old former Osasuna defender has 4 years to prove his worth to the Villa faithful and will battle with Zat Knight and Curtis Davies to replace Olof Mellberg who rejected a new contract to sign a pre contract for Juventus in January. Cuellar is the 3rd most expensive defender in transfers between British clubs behind Rio Ferdinand and teammate Curtis Davies.

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