McLeish brings N'Zog to Aston Villa

Alex McLeish has finally completed the £9.5m signing of Charles N'Zogbia. The French midfielder links up with McLeish at Villa Park and will replace Stewart Downing who joined Liverpool last week.

Although the deal is not yet complete, there are only minor details to finish.

''The deal hasn't been fully done yet, he still has to complete a medical. I believe everything else is just about there,'' said McLeish.

''I think it's a great addition to the squad. He's an explosive player and he gives us a little bit of quality to replace one or two of the guys that have left the club.

''We try to do as much homework as possible to ensure we can get it done. You can never say it's a 100 percent done deal, that's why I remain cautious, but I'm pretty confident.

''You saw his exploits last season, especially towards the end of the campaign when he scored five or six goals which were extremely important for Wigan to stay in the league.

''I felt we needed to replace Downing with similar quality, he's broken into the French national team, I believe we've got a player who can become even better.''