Aston Villa land Leandro Bacuna and Jores Okore

Aston Villa confirmed the signings of Dutch midfielder Leandro Bacuna from FC Groningen and Danish defender Jores Okore from FC Nordsjaelland, to stick to their policy of buying young players with bags of potential.

The 21-year-old Bacuna, who has made in excess of 100 outings for his club since his debut in 2009, put pen to paper on a three-year contract.

The highly-rated 20-year-old Okore, who tasted Champions football last season, signed a four-year contract at Villa Park.

Okore revealed he is happy to move to such a well-supported club: “I know there is great potential in the team. I have watched many of our games because the Premier League is very popular back in Denmark. I know also that we have a good coach and this is a really good club. This is the right club for me, I feel it straight away.

“I’m really excited and I’m looking forward to seeing my new team-mates and getting together with them to train and get prepared to play some Premier League games.

“I’m happy to be wearing the shirt and I feel like I’m looking really good in it - it feels very comfortable. I’m looking forward to us going out next season, performing as a team and showing our potential.

“We have players who have experience of the Premier League and hopefully I can also bring something from my experience in the Champions League. I’m looking forward to playing with my new team-mates,” he added.

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert admitted he has no doubts both players will settle well at Villa Park and make an immediate contribution to his side. He said: “Jores has played in big games but he’s a very humble lad and he will be a really good addition to our team and to our squad. I’m pleased that we’ve signed a player of his stature, for he is someone who can come in and make a huge impact.”

“Leandro’s energy and versatility will be really good for us. He’s a good player, he has bags of energy and he will make an impact.

“He’s another player we believe will do well for us. He has played in big games and he has lots of experience for a player so young.”