Former England midfielder Joe Cole has joined Aston Villa on a free transfer, the club have announced.

The 32-year-old was a free agent after being released by West Ham at the end of last season.

Cole, who has also played for Chelsea and Liverpool in his career and won 56 caps for England, has signed a two-year deal at Villa Park.

Cole told AVTV: “I’m really excited. It all happened really quickly, I got a call maybe a week or 10 days ago and it just felt like it was a really exciting place to come at this moment.”

Cole becomes Villa’s second signing of the summer – former Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos arrived last week.

Manager Paul Lambert is hoping to revamp his squad after two seasons of battling relegation from the English Premier League and Cole was impressed by the Scot’s vision.

He said: “This is a massive club and there’s a massive opportunity for the club to push on. That was the main factor.

“I spoke to the gaffer and we have similar views on football. He didn’t need to sell the club but he explained what the view is for the future and, like I said, that was the main thing. When I spoke to the manager I knew I’d be signing.

“I’ll be coming here and I’ll be learning too. Obviously I’ll bring my experience to the squad but you still learn every day and I want to learn.”

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