Aston Villa Football Club News

• Nickname:The Villains
• Founded:1874
• Manager:Alex McLeish

• Ground:Villa Park
• Capacity:42,584

Dunne eyes top-four finish

03 Sep 2009 - 12:38:14

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New Aston Villa signing Richard Dunne has set his sights on helping the Midlands club secure Champions League football after joining from Manchester City.

The Republic of Ireland international has swapped Eastlands for Villa Park in a £6million transfer and is confident that his new club is heading in the right direction.

Villa finished sixth in the Premier League last season after looking like they would challenge for a top-four spot throughout most of the campaign.

"I'm delighted. It's a great opportunity for me. Obviously Aston Villa have improved each season recently," Dunne told the club's official website.

"Hopefully I can be part of a squad that can challenge for a Champions League spot.

"I think with Aston Villa, with the experience they'd have gained from last season - they went so close for so long at the top end and the manager has bought in some new players into the squad this year - maybe it might help us go that bit further."

Meanwhile, Dunne admitted he was never concerned about his move being given the green light despite it being ratified 24 hours after the transfer window closed on Tuesday.

The Premier League had asked for additional time to process the paperwork needed to register him as a Villa player.

He added: "I came on Friday and passed my medical and I thought it would be a straightforward day for me.

"I think there was just a lot of pressure on a lot of people with so many deals going through but I'm just really pleased that finally we have it all done."