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Villa secure Bertrand loan

Betrand (left) won a Champions League medal at Chelsea © Getty Images

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Paul Lambert has completed the loan signing of Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand for the remainder of the season as part of his bid to haul Aston Villa away from the relegation zone.

Villa boss Lambert has been in negotiations with Chelsea for several days regarding the left-back and has bolstered his side's survival bid by securing the services of the 24-year-old until the summer.

Bertrand is the second loan signing this week for the Villa Park side, following the arrival of Grant Holt from Wigan Athletic, and will go straight into the squad for the trip to Anfield this weekend.

Despite failing to hold down a regular place at Stamford Bridge, Bertrand has big game experience at the highest level, including the 2012 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich, and Lambert feels that will help his side climb away from trouble.

Lambert said: "Ryan brings a lot of big-game experience, not only in the Premier League but also a Champions League final which Chelsea won, so he'll be really good for us.

"The way he plays the game and as the humble person he is, too, he'll fit in here great and it will be good for him also to be playing games. He has real enthusiasm for the game and he's looking forward to playing here.

"We're grateful to Chelsea for allowing him to come here on loan and we know he'll be really good to work with."

Bertrand was expected to break through at Chelsea this season, but this is the latest loan of a career which has included spells with Bournemouth, Oldham Athletic, Norwich City, Reading and Nottingham Forest.

With all his experience of loans away from Chelsea, Bertrand is confident he can hit the ground running and make an impact, saying: "I've had to adjust many times in my career having played under several managers, so I know I can settle in here quickly and I'm looking forward to being able to contribute to the team.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for me to come here. Aston Villa is a fantastic club. To get this chance to come here and play some games will be a really good step for me.

"I'm focussed on continuing to progress and helping the team here to do that, too. We have a lot of young, talented players here with some experienced heads as well, they want to express themselves and I hope I can add to that and add my experience in a productive way."

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