Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Crystal Palace midfielder, Mile Jedinak.
The Eagles last week accepted a bid in the region of £4 million and Jedinak has signed a three-year deal at Villa Park.
Jedinak has been surplus to requirements for a while at Selhurst Park. The Australian international has struggled to get into manager Alan Pardew’s side after questions were raised over whether he fitted into the former Newcastle United boss’ preferred system.
Club legend departs
The 32-year-old was signed on a free transfer in 2011 by then manager Dougie Freedman and he has since become a legend at Palace.
The midfielder, who has also played in countries such as Croatia, Turkey and his native Australia, struggled in his first season in English football. Often ridiculed for his inability to pass, Jedinak’s frame was slight and was nothing like the muscular, imposing character that fans are used to seeing now.
However, his career in England suddenly turned into an upward spiral when he was awarded the captaincy at Selhurst Park due to an injury suffered by Paddy McCarthy and he became a key player in his second season.
Jedinak captained the Eagles to triumph at Wembley Stadium where Ian Holloway’s side won promotion to the Premier League for the first time in nine years via the play-offs. He then continued his role in the heart of the Palace midfield the following season as they survived relegation under Tony Pulis, with Jedinak scoring the goal to clinch their top-flight status against West Ham United.
Time to move on
Jedinak's career has stagnated under Pardew and he has often found himself not even a part of the matchday squad. The 55-year-old prefers a short passing style and fellow midfielders James McArthur, Yohan Cabaye and Jason Puncheon are much more suited to this.
The 2013-14 PFA Footballer of the Year had the opportunity to move on last summer and again in January, with clubs such as Norwich City and Stoke City heavily interested, but he opted to stay at Palace and fight for his place.
In total, Jedinak made 179 appearances for Palace, scoring ten goals.