Villa swoop for £4m Zat

Aug 28 2007 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

VILLA boss Martin O'Neill was today putting the finishing touches to former England defender Zat Knight's £4million arrival from Fulham - but he has not given up on Albion's Curtis Davies.

Knight was due to complete the formalities of his move after undergoing a medical at Bodymoor Heath.

Ironically, he hobbled off during Fulham's 2-1 defeat at Villa Park on Saturday not long after getting a faint touch to Ashley Young's equalising goal.

Knight's arrival will ease the pressure on O'Neill to close the Davies deal but the manager still wants the Albion man and a right-back as a necessity.

Knight, aged 27, will offer competition for places with Olof Mellberg, Martin Laursen and Gary Cahill, Villa's other centre-backs.

He was born in Solihull and supported Villa as a child.

The 6ft 5in defender was signed in 1999 by the then Fulham manager Kevin Keegan after he returned from a trial period with Benfica.

Originally a youth at Albion he then moved to Rushall Olympic where he was spotted by the Portuguese side, who offered him a trial and subsequently a two-year contract.

He made his England senior debut as a half-time substitute for Sol Campbell in the May 2005 friendly against the USA and followed that three days later with his full debut against Colombia.