Newcastle United have signed Aston Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 24-year-old only arrived at Villa Park in the summer as part of the deal that saw James Milner move to Manchester City, but he has failed to hold down a regular first-team place since Gerard Houllier became manager.
And after an early glitch which threatened to prevent the deal happening, Ireland has now wrapped up the temporary switch.
Magpies boss Alan Pardew told the club’s official website: “Stephen has shown over the past few seasons that he's a real top player so we're really pleased to have got him until the end of the season.
“He can create chances for others and score goals himself, and we think he can be a big factor for us in the second part of this season.
“I think Stephen feels he can deliver more than he's shown at Villa so far, so he's got a point to prove and I believe we can reap the benefits of that.”
However, transfer deadline day did not prove too kind to Newcastle, who sold leading scorer Andy Carroll to Liverpool for a reported £35m after the 22-year-old handed in a transfer request.