Villa captain Mellberg in new deal
BIRMINGHAM, England -- Olof Mellberg has been rewarded for his superb form at the heart of Aston Villa's defense with a new four-year deal which keeps him at the club until June 2008.
The Sweden international, who cost 5.6 million pounds from Racing Santander in July 2001, has been instrumental in his club's push for a place in Europe.
"I definitely feel Aston Villa are moving in the right direction, especially over the last few months," the 27-year-old Villa captain told the club's website.
"We have a lot of good players and a lot of young players who are doing really well.
"I think the younger players have a big future at Villa and hopefully we can build on this season and just get better and better. I'm very happy to be part of that."
Villa go into their final game of the season, against Manchester United at Villa Park on Saturday, knowing a win will allow them to finish fifth and book their place in next season's UEFA Cup.
Even a draw or a defeat could be enough depending on Newcastle's result at Liverpool.
Manager David O'Leary has achieved a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of a club that finished 16th last season and started the campaign as one of the favorites to be relegated.
O'Leary has moved to consolidate this season's success by opening talks on new contracts with Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel, midfielder Gareth Barry and Ecuadorian Ulises de la Cruz.
German under-21 midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger is also due to begin negotiating a new deal in the next few days.
