Crystal Palace have announced the signing of midfielder Barry Bannan from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.
The Scot, who played under Palace manager Ian Holloway at Blackpool, has signed a three-year deal with the Premier League new-boys after ending his lengthy association with Villa, which began when he joined the club s youth academy as a 14-year-old.
Bannan has since made 83 appearances, but has moved on after struggling for regular first-team football since the arrival of Paul Lambert.
And he has expressed delight after being handed a new opportunity by Palace.
I went back home to Scotland over the weekend ahead of meeting up with the international squad so I ve had to travel back down but it s a great bit of news for me, he told the club s official website.
I was at Blackpool with the gaffer here when they got promotion that year and that was probably the highlight of my career so far.
It is a big move for me to leave Villa and I would like to thank the fans there but it s a new chapter in my life now and I can t wait to get started.
I want to get myself in the door and start training and hopefully get myself in the team. I haven t played this season and didn t much last year so I can t wait to get going.
Bannanmade his Scotland debut in 2010.
