Aston Villa have announced the signing of Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan, with the midfielder agreeing a two-year deal at Villa Park to become Steve Bruce’s fourth summer arrival.

The midfielder follows John Terry, Ahmed Elmohamady and Sam Johnstone to Villa Park, in what has been an exciting summer on the transfer front for Villa.

Whelan has been on Villa’s radar for some time now, but Bruce has finally secured the service of the 33-year-old Irish international.

The midfielder has spent nine-and-a-half years at the Britannia Stadium, playing a significant role in helping Stoke to the Premier League and establishing them in the top-flight.

During his time with Stoke, Whelan was a regular under both Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes, making 336 appearances across all competitions for the Potters.

Most of those appearances came in the Premier League, but during the 2007/08 season, Whelan made 14 Championship appearances during the run-in, helping Stoke achieve automatic promotion to the top-flight.

Bruce will be hoping that Whelan’s experience can guide Villa back to the Premier League, after his side failed to mount a serious promotion challenge last season.

Villa stumbled to a 13^th placed finish in the Sky Bet Championship, but Bruce has been active in the summer transfer window, ensuring they challenge for the top-six next season.

Villa fans… Are you pleased to see Whelan arrive at Villa Park? Do you think he will be an important player in the upcoming season? Let us know your thoughts!