Aston Villa make their first signing of the summer

It's official: Aston Villa have officially signed Philippe Senderos. The 29-year-old defender moves from Fulham to Villa on a two-year deal, starting July 1.

Senderos joined Fulham in the summer of 2010, making 57 appearances for the Cottagers. However, the relegation-bound club decided he was surplus to requirements, and sent him on loan to Valencia for the second half of the season. Senderos made just five appearances for the La Liga side, which bodes well.

Fulham also conceded a table-topping 85 goals last season, which really bodes well.

But hey - it's another center back, with proven Premier League experience. Since he was released from Fulham and likely wasn't making much there, he's probably not costing Villa much. And his name isn't Ciaran Clark or Nathan Baker.

When this story first came out, one of the newspapers tweeted right before posting about a story on Chelsea nearing a deal for Diego Costa. Of course this isn't as glamorous. But until the ownership issue is resolved, solid, cheap, dependable signings are likely about as glamorous as Aston Villa are going to get.