Soccer: Mellberg in £5m Villa switch

Olof Mellberg has expressed his delight after signing for Aston Villa for £5m yesterday.

The 23-year-old Swede moved from Racing Santander on a five-year deal with Villa and is expected to replace Gareth Southgate, who moved to Middlesbrough last week for £6.5m.

Mellberg, who has won 20 international caps with Sweden, was also linked with a host of top European clubs, including Inter Milan.

However, he admitted that he made up his mind to move to Villa Park as soon as he became aware of John Gregory's interest in him midway through last season.