By Amir Mir
Aston Villa announced the signing of Reading midfielder Aaron Tshibola on a four-year deal from Championship rivals Reading – and supporters on Twitter reacted with new-found optimism.
The club revealed on their official website that Tshibola put pen to paper on Sunday morning and has now flown out to Austria to join his new teammates for pre-season training.
There were many Villa fans who were pleased that manager Roberto Di Matteo was addressing the under-performing areas of the last campaign.
The club rotated the likes of Ashley Westwood, Jordan Veretout, Idrissa Ghana, Leonardo Bacuna, Carlos Sanchez and Jordan Lyden in the middle of the park but failed to find consistency.
One supporter was hoping the youngster’s size could be of much needed help in midfield.
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As the supporters welcomed him to Villa Park, fans were looking forward to the club spending more money in the transfer market, including adding a new striker to the squad.
Here are their reactions on Twitter:
Good business so far, now for a striker! #avfc
— Mitch (@avfcmitchhh) July 10, 2016
https://twitter.com/NiallBowes/status/752116825559797760
Haven't watched Tshibola play but looking at his size he's the kind of player we need in the midfield if he can perform – excited #AVFC
— Reece (@Reece_AV) July 10, 2016
@AVFCOfficial @AaronTshibola Welcome to Villa Aaron, here’s wishing you all the very best. #avfc #UTV
— Roger. W (@RogW38) 10 July 2016
@AVFCOfficial @AaronTshibola Same hair as Jordan Amavi so hopefully he is just as good. Just don’t get confused when they are both playing.
— TeverageUk (@TeVerageUkHd) 10 July 2016
@AVFCOfficial @AaronTshibola buzzing about this signing, reading fans rate this lad highly
— Jarrad Power (@BurntFreckle) 10 July 2016
@AVFCOfficial @_VicoBlacks @AaronTshibola huge move??
— Scumbag (@DollyBest8) 10 July 2016
@AVFCOfficial @AaronTshibola welcome Aaron! Help get us back into the Premiership ??⚽️
— Anne Lloyd (@anne0017) 10 July 2016
Keep the signings flowing #avfc
— Dale Birch ⚡️ (@BattleBorn__) July 10, 2016
In other Aston Villa news, another new signing has said things need to change at Villa Park in order to gain promotion after a disastrous relegation.