Ayew arrives in Birmingham, "delighted" to join Aston Villa

We've gone from 0 to 60 as quickly as we can with the Jordan Ayew rumours today. If you're behind, catch up here, but here's the quick version: First there was a bid, then his agent hoping to be in Birmingham tonight, and now apparently he has arrived. Speaking to Sky Sports, Ayew had some very nice things to say about Aston Villa, and if we take him at his word it seems as if the deal is all but done:

Jordan Ayew to Sky Sports: "I’m delighted to have arrived in the UK and to have the opportunity to join a club the size of Aston Villa."

— Get French Football (@GFN_France) July 24, 2015

Jordan Ayew to Sky Sports: "I’m looking forward to meeting the manager & I'm very excited about playing in the best league in the world."

— Get French Football (@GFN_France) July 24, 2015

So if you were hoping that Ayew was actually coming to Aston Villa, this can be nothing but a good sign. While there have been conflicting reports of the fee paid for him all day, it seems to be in the £9-12 million range. We can quibble about whether or not the price is very high, but Ayew is obviously a very talented player, and since it's not our money let's just enjoy the fact that we may get to watch him regularly soon.

If you're looking for a great in-depth report on Ayew, I can't recommend this one from Gary Al-Smith highly enough. Al-Smith regularly covers African football and is very high on Ayew's potential. This bit was particularly appealing:

It's very difficult to get the ball off him when he's in full flight. And his link up play can be great, too.

For a club like Villa who aren't always blessed with the best midfielders, a striker who takes the ball from deep and runs at defenders is a must.

Jordan is exactly that.

Anyhow, we'll let you know when this goes official, but I think we can start getting used to the idea of Jordan Ayew in the claret and blue.