Aston Villa have announced the signing of West Bromwich Albion defender Joleon Lescott.
NEW RECRUIT: Full story as @JoleonLescott signs for Villa. Official word: http://t.co/grfv6nxT03 #AVFC #WelcomeJoleon pic.twitter.com/aC9QhSYryO
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) September 1, 2015
The Birmingham-born 33-year-old crosses the city after making 38 appearances for their rivals.
The fee is believed to be potentially £2 million.
Lescott boasts 26 caps for England national team.
Born in Birmingham, Lescott is a graduate of the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth academy. He made his first team debut with Wolves in 2000 and he was named the supporters’ Young Player of the Year two years running.
He was a regular player as the club won promotion to Premier League in 2003, but missed the whole season through injury and they were relegated. He was named in the Championship team of the year for the 2005–06 season, and subsequently moved to Premier League side Everton for a total of £5 million in August 2006.
He was voted player’s Player of the Season by his teammates in the following two seasons. Lescott moved to Manchester City in August 2009 for a reported £22 million, and spent five seasons at the club, winning two league titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup. After his release in 2014 he joined West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer.
Internationally, Lescott represented England at various youth levels before making his first team debut in 2007 againstEstonia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. He represented the country at Euro 2012.
Manager Tim Sherwood is delighted to bring such an experienced player into his flourishing claret and blue ranks.
He said: “I’m delighted to bring Joleon on board.”
“He’s a player who has great Premier League experience and he’ll be a huge help to the younger members of our squad.”