By Paul Brown

Stiliyan Petrov has expressed his delight at signing a new long-term contract with Villa.

And the influential midfielder paid tribute to club officials for the way they handled the deal.

He told AVTV: "I am delighted. It feels great. We've been talking about the contract for quite a few months and I've had a lot of people asking me about it.

"But I am really happy with the way the club handled it all. They left me to concentrate on the games and focus my mind on playing football.

"After a few meetings, everything has now been finalised and, in all honesty, I never had any doubts about it.

"When we started talking, the club assured me it was looking to build and become even more successful. That was enough for me."

Petrov revealed this contract - at the age of 29 - was an important one in his career but he is very confident he made the right choice to stay on at Villa Park.

He added: "It was a massive decision for me and my family because it's the stage in my career when I needed to consider everything.

"But I am sure I made the right decision. I am hoping to make the Villa fans very happy in the years to come."