[Mighty T.A.L.]

New deal joy for Berger

Patrik Berger has expressed delight at striking a new deal with Aston Villa.

The Czech midfielder seemed to be on his way out of the club after falling down the pecking order and being loaned out to Stoke.

However, he fought his way back into Martin O'Neill's plans towards the end of the season and did enough to persuade the club to offer him a fresh commitment.

The one-year deal has met favour with Berger and he will put pen-to-paper when he returns for pre-season training in July.

"We have a new owner, a new manager and several new players, so it's an exciting time for the club," the 33-year-old told the club's official website.

"The new training ground will be ready for the upcoming campaign too so, in my opinion, everything is moving forward.

"I think the construction of a new multi-million pound training ground is a massive step for this football club. The facilities will be up there with the very best in the country, which will be great news for the current players and a superb way of attracting new ones too.

"I'm sure Martin O'Neill will be bringing in some really good players in the summer, so it looks set to be an interesting time.

"In my opinion this club will be challenging for a spot in Europe next season. I think it's really going places."

Source: Skysports