Nationality: American
Date of Birth: 18 May 1971 (Lakewood, Ohio, USA)
Previous Clubs: Brøndby, Galatasaray, Columbus Crew, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers
Position: Goalkeeper

Brad Friedel joined Villa on 26 July 2008 from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee, but thought to be in the region of £2 million. He signed a three-year deal.

Brad is a former USA international keeper and, at 37 years of age, is highly experienced and consistently solid ‘between the sticks’. He spent eight seasons at Blackburn, and Martin O’Neill is presumably looking to Brad’s considerable experience and reliability to ensure a watertight and well-marshalled defence. Brad was dubbed “The Human Wall” for his performance in the 2002 World Cup.

It is also speculated that Brad is seen as an ideal mentor for Brad Guzan, an up and coming young American international goalkeeper who is expected to join Villa, subject to the granting of work permit. Ironically, Friedel had similar problems in his early days with obtaining a work permit to play in England, with attempts to join Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Sunderland all being thwarted by the denial of a work permit.

[Frank Antram, 28 July 2008]

Photo: www.avfc.co.uk