Wayne Routledge Joins Queens Park Rangers

Aston Villa's first piece of business in this year's transfer window has been a sale, despite all the talk recently of them looking to make some expensive purchases.

Villa have sold Wayne Routledge to Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee. The right-winger agreed a three-and-a-half year deal, turning down the chance of joining QPR's Championship rivals Cardiff City, with whom he had enjoyed a successful loan spell recently.

"I'm thrilled to be here. The manager [Paulo Sousa] has a great vision about where he wants to take the club and he sees me playing a big part in that," Routledge told Rangers' official website.

"The reason I am here is because the manager showed an unbelievable desire to get me to QPR and I am delighted to seal the move."

The 23-year-old, who has 12 England Under-21 caps to his name, has also played for Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Portsmouth and Fulham.

QPR coach Sousa was also elated that he'd managed to land the player, commenting:

"I am delighted we've been able to bring Wayne to QPR. There were a number of clubs interested in signing him, but we've got our man and I couldn't be happier."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com