Saturday, July 16, 2011

Liverpool Complete Signing Of Stewart Downing For £20m

Liverpool have completed the signing of Stewart Downing from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee believed to be £20m.

The 26-year-old winger, who becomes Kenny Dalglish's fourth summer signing, said: "It's a great feeling and I'm very happy to be here. It's been a long time coming and I've had to wait a few weeks but I'm really pleased.

"With the tradition, the manager and the players they have here, there was a big temptation and once I knew of their interest, there was only one place I wanted to go. When I wanted to come to Liverpool, it was the first thing I thought of – playing at Anfield in front of those great fans. I'm really looking forward to it."

The prospect of winning trophies on a regular basis also appealed to Downing. "It would be nice to win something. I'm sure that's the same objective for everyone, not just me. My aim is to be in the team, to play well and give something back, because the manager has pushed the boat out to get me here.

Downing's arrival marked the end of a busy day for Liverpool, who also completed the signing of the goalkeeper Alexander Doni from Roma. The 31-year-old Brazilian is thought to have joined on a free transfer after agreeing terms and passing a medical. Doni, who has 10 caps for Brazil, will provide backup and competition for Liverpool No1 José Reina, a role he also played at Roma behind Júlio Sérgio.

Downing and Doni join Jordan Henderson from Sunderland and Blackpool's Charlie Adam as Liverpool's summer recruits.

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