Belgium international Leander Dendoncker crosses the Midlands to join Aston Villa from Wolves for an undisclosed fee; the 27-year-old made over 150 appearances for Wolves after joining from Anderlecht; Jan Bednarek joins on season-long loan from Southampton
Friday 2 September 2022 11:21, UK
Aston Villa have confirmed the Deadline Day signings of Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek, while Wolves secured the signature of Boubacar Traore from Metz.
Belgium international Dendoncker has moved across the Midlands from Molineux to Villa Park after an undisclosed fee, thought to be £13m, was agreed between the two clubs earlier on Thursday.
The length of the contract he has signed has not been disclosed at this stage.
Dendoncker, 27, made 159 appearances for Wolves after joining from Anderlecht, initially on loan in 2018 and permanently a year later.
His sale could not, however, persuade Aston Villa to accept an improved bid from Arsenal for midfielder Douglas Luiz, who rebuffed bids of £20m, £23m and £25m from the Gunners on Thursday.
Bednarek, meanwhile, has signed for Villa on a season-long loan from Southampton.
The 26-year-old Poland defender had looked set for a move to West Ham earlier in the day, but that move fell through.
He has spent five years at St Mary's, following a 2017 move from Lech Poznan and has made over 150 appearances for the club.
Meanwhile, Wolves' move for Traore - a Mali U23 international - is a season-long with an option to buy for €11m.
The 21-year-old underwent a medical on Thursday evening, and personal terms were not a problem.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard believes Deadline Day signings Jan Bednarek and Leander Dendoncker can bring "vital experience" to help turn Villa's season around.
He said on Friday: "Both players bring vital Premier League experience and international experience. They bring a profile and a stature into the team which I think we need.
"I'm hoping they bring a real positive energy, which is needed at the moment and hopefully they'll give the current group some help that is much needed, especially given our recent results.
"I'm delighted to get them in. It was a challenge in both situations because they were very much in demand, so for them to choose Aston Villa and want to come here and play for us is important. Again, the work behind the scenes to get that done was crucial so well done to them as well.
"Both of these players have played in very big games. Jan has come here to challenge himself, I don't know the situation of what happened at Southampton, but it's a fresh start for him here.
"There's a World Cup on the horizon and I know he'll be eager to get into the starting XI. We certainly need his aggression and profile and his defensive capabilities at the moment.
"Leander is very different - he's playing internationally in one of the best teams in the world. Roberto Martinez has done a fantastic job with that team and he's been a big part of that.
"Both players speak for themselves in terms of pedigree and what they're going to add to the group. I'm sure they'll give everyone a much-needed lift right now and you can feel that this morning, even though they've only been in the building a few hours."
