"?Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of 25-year-old Barnsley captain and playmaker Conor Hourihane via "?Twitter.
It was originally thought that the switch was held up as Barnsley ramped up their pursuit of a replacement for their captain, but the deal has gone through regardless.
Villa boss Steve Bruce knows the Irish playmaker well, having coached him at Sunderland and it's thought that his mind was made up after watching Hourihane's match-winning performance against Leeds on Saturday evening.
Breaking transfer news: We are delighted to confirm the arrival of @ConorHourihane. #WelcomeConor #AVFC pic.twitter.com/lb8yWTD1Je
In addition to Hourihane, Henri Lansbury, Birkir Bjarnason, Sam Johnstone and James Bree have all joined the Villans in recent days.
Conor Hourihane in the Championship this season:
? most assists (11)
? most tackles (79)
? most goals from direct FKs (2)
? most MotM (7) pic.twitter.com/K7ZuZYmZhC
Villa currently occupy 13th in the Championship and while the play-offs are seven points away, Bruce remains confident his side can finish in the top-six to earn a shot at Premier League promotion.