Tommy Elphick admits he wants to establish himself as a Premier League player again

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The new Aston Villa signing does not intend to hang around in the Championship for long.

He may have only just signed a deal to drop down from the Premier League to the Championship, but new Aston Villa signing Tommy Elphick has told AVTV that he does not intend to hang around for long in the second tier.

Elphick became Villa’s first signing of the summer when he joined for a reported fee of around £3 million on Monday from top-flight side Bournemouth.

The 28-year-old has great pedigree across several divisions, having captained the Cherries to promotions from league One and the Championship and again leading the side in their first ever Premier League campaign last term.

However, his debut season in the top flight was a frustrating one as a persistent ankle injury limited him to just 14 appearances as the south coast side secured survival.

Now, after four years at the Vitality Stadium the defender has moved on to a new challenge at last term’s crisis club Villa, but he has already stressed that he has his eyes on getting a second chance in the Premier League.

Elphick admitted, in an interview with AVTV: “I want to get back to the Premier League as soon as possible.

“My Premier League experience is limited, but I want to establish myself as a Premier League player again.”

Elphick would certainly seem to be an encouraging first signing as Villa look to help him achieve that goal by securing instant promotion back to the top division.

The defender is a leader and has racked up well over 300 first-team appearances so far in his career, and would seem to be exactly the sort of character that the club will desperately need next season.