juventusita
Senior Squad
From Soccernet.com
Joey (real name Johannes) Gudjonsson joined Aston Villa in late-January 2003 after a somewhat protracted transfer process with Spanish club Real Betis.
At one stage, the Icelandic international had agreed to move only for Betis, where he had fallen out of favour, to double the amount they wanted for the player to join Villa on loan for the remainder of the season.
The midfielder, who has also turned out for Dutch sides RKC Waalwijk, Belgian outfit Genk and also IA Aranes in his homeland, was immediately challenged by a delighted Graham Taylor to earn a permanent move to the Premiership.
Villa boss Taylor said: 'He's a 22-year-old midfielder. He's got lots of energy, he's very competitive. He's also a good passer and he also creates space for himself.'
Gudjonsson claims to have a good understanding of the English game due to his addiction to computer game Championship Manager - and straight away praised Villa captain Gareth Barry.
He explained: 'I know almost every player by name already. I play a lot of Championship Manager and Gareth Barry is always a good buy. Hopefully he is just as good in real life.'