Goretzka joins Villa after eight-year stint with Bayern
Leon Goretzka will play club football outside of Germany for the first time in his career after completing his free transfer to Aston Villa.
Goretzka has signed a reported three-year deal with Villa at the end of an eight-year stint with Bayern Munich, where he won 17 trophies.
The midfielder made 312 appearances across all competitions for Bayern, scoring 51 goals and providing 44 assists.
Goretzka helped Bayern win seven Bundesliga titles, including last season, and won the Champions League with the German outfit in 2020.
"I want to help the team to achieve their goals and to bring my experience that I have from my whole career. Let's play a good season," Goretzka said.
"Obviously, for me, it's a new league. I'm really looking forward to playing in these kinds of big games every few days, and this is probably the biggest difference to the Bundesliga, where you have only several great games with big opponents.
"I had a good feeling from the first conversation with the coach. Aston Villa, for me, is a really big club.
"It took me a while to find out what I really want to do now with my next step, and here, from the first moment, I had a good feeling. I'm really appreciating that I'm here."
Since Goretzka's Bayern debut, only Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala have directly contributed to more goals among the club's midfielders.
Goretzka also won the second-most tackles among Bayern midfielders, third-most duels and created the fourth-most chances.
The 31 year-old could make his Villa debut when it hosts Arsenal in the Premier League on Tuesday, while Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson is also reportedly close to making the switch to Villa Park.
