Championship: Aston Villa sign John Terry

Championship side Aston Villa have completed a high-profile signing: former Chelsea captain John Terry signed a one-year contract with the promotion hopefuls. Terry, aged 36, left Chelsea after his contract expired at the end of last month. Central defender John Terry has 78 caps for England and has played in no less than 717 matches for the Blues, winning five Premier League titles and several other trophies in during his nineteen seasons at Stamford Bridge. He has won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 2005. John Terry revealed that he had several offers from abroad and also from Premier League clubs. But he added: "The mental side of playing against Chelsea was too much to get over for me. I was there for 22 years at the football club. I am very proud of that but this is a new chapter in my life and career. My thoughts are 100% here and the ambition is to get us back to the Premier League. It's a huge club. Villa Park is one of the finest stadiums in the country and there's a good group of players here. I can't wait to get started now and look to help the squad achieve something special this season. It's a club that deserves to be in the Premier League and I still want to continue playing." John Terry could have chosen a lucrative contract abroad, either in China or in the United States, but it is believed that his respect for manager Steve Bruce and director of football Steve Round determined him to choose this contract. Aston Villa had a disappointing performance last season, finishing 13th in the Championship, but now Steve Bruce and his team are among the favourites to win promotion to the Premier League. However, Aston Villa have not signed any other new players this summer. Aston Villa are 7/4 at Bet365 to get promoted to the Premier League next season.