It is confirmed. Stewart Downing is an Aston Villa player and while some won't believe it until he is in the shirt and on the pitch, sometime hopefully around September, it is done.
We don't know the fee, but it is thought to be around the £12mn. (I've just read £10mn. with the potential for it to total £12mn. over time) mark but we do know it is a four year deal and it was done after he passed a medical.
Now, call me cynical, but I'm sure it wasn't a full medical mostly because the lad can't run at the moment, but if it is good enough for O'Neill, it is good enough for me.
We've added him to our list of players coming in on our graphic to the right and all we need to see now is Distin, Defour, Bentley, Bent and Hangeland and it might turn out to be a productive season next year.
For the record, we are not going to refer to him as Disco Stu, it will be DJ Stewey in future, but for now, welcome Mr Downing to Aston Villa Football Club and I hope you have a better cross than our other £12mn. signing.
DJ Stewey to the Aston Villa official site
I am really pleased to be joining Villa. It's a massive football club with good ambition. It's certainly been a summer of speculation for me but I have tried to switch off and get a good break after my injury. Saying that, when it became apparent that Villa were interested I was very excited. I wanted to come as soon as I met Martin O'Neill so I am delighted it's now sorted out.
As soon as I spoke to the manager at the training ground, I wanted to play for Villa and I wanted to play for him. He has great ambition and wants to build a good squad to take the club forward. I want to be part of that. As an outsider looking in, it was obvious that Villa were a club on the up. You can see a chairman and manager who want to build great things. They have done that over the past few seasons, particularly by finishing sixth last time around, which was great.
But once you get here and see the stadium, the training ground, the people behind the scenes and the manager with his ambition and hopes for the future, it's even better than you realised.
DJ Stewey to the Middlesbrough official site
Leaving Boro feels strange because I've always been at the club. I supported them when I was young and I'll always be a Boro fan, but I hope the fans will understand that I'm ambitious and want to win things. This move gives me a chance of that. I've got some great memories of my time with Boro and the Boro fans have been brilliant to me.
I'd like to thank them for all their support, but especially for sticking by me after all the speculation in January. In hindsight, it was a mistake to ask for a move at that point. I was frustrated but I know now I should have waited until the summer.
Martin O'Neill on DJ Stewey
I think he is excellent and a super signing. I am really pleased he is here. He is a young man and he has plenty to offer us. He is a left sided player primarily. But I also feel he is capable of not only playing on the left wing but also inside and off the centre forward too, which he has done at Middlesbrough to fantastic effect.
I also believe he can play in off the right. In many aspects we are getting a multi-purpose player who, when fit, will be terrific for the club.