Schmeichel aims to maintain reputation

Peter Schmeichel has settled in quickly

BBC Sport Online believes the arrival of Peter Schmeichel will provide a huge boost for Aston Villa this season.

Peter Schmeichel's summer arrival at Villa Park prompted John Gregory to label him "a winner through and through".

It's a reputation the Danish keeper is keen to keep in tact.

The former Manchester United man was one of the surprise moves of the summer when Gregory persuaded him to return to the Premiership after a two-year spell with Sporting Lisbon.

  Villa ins and outs

In: Mustapha Hadji (Coventry) £4m; Hassan Kachloul (Southampton) free; Peter Schmeichel (Sporting Lisbon) free; Olof Mellberg (Racing Santander) £5m.

Out: Gareth Southgate (Middlesbrough) £6.5m; Julian Joachim (Coventry) £2m; David James (West Ham) £3.5m; Neil Tarrant (Motherwell) loan.

Having won championship winners medals with his previous two clubs, Schmeichel realises a hat-trick is probably beyond him in the short term.

But Schmeichel is confident he can help Villa to at least realise a Uefa Cup qualifying position, avoiding the much-maligned qualifying route of the Intertoto Cup.

Schmeichel said: "I always remember Aston Villa as one of the top teams to play against - and that is the sort of environment I like to be in.

"I like to be in a place where they want to go forward.

"It's an environment that suits me well. Villa is a big club that hasn't achieved the best results over the last couple of years.

"It's a club of the kind of stature which should be qualifying for Europe every year.

Gregory believes he has backed a winner in Schmeichel

"It has a fantastic stadium and a manager who is very ambitious.

"I think I can help with my experience and I am looking forward to this big challenge with so much relish.

"I wanted to have a new challenge.

"For me, it has always been about challenges and I've settled in well already.

"Villa have showed in the past what they are capable of. There was one year when they pushed us all the way when I won my first league championship with United.

"There was another season when they led the league table for five or six months up until February time. They have been there or thereabouts many times.

I have missed the Premiership

Peter Schmeichel

"If that sort of success can be replicated it would be brilliant.

"The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Leeds and Manchester United are buying big and it is difficult to compete with them. They have squads that are a lot bigger.

"But it would be nice to have a good cup run and do well enough in the league to get automatic European qualification and there is a lot of ability in the squad."

Premiership atmosphere

Schmeichel has not appeared in the Premiership since helping United to an unprecedented treble in the 1998-99 campaign.

But he insists he is ready, willing and able to resume duties in what he describes as "still the best league in the world."

Schmeichel said: "I had said to people in Portugal that I wouldn't be coming back there after the two years and concluded the only place I could come back and play again was back in the Premier League.

"I would not say I regret going to Portugal, but I have missed the atmosphere, the good play, the physical part of the game that makes up the Premiership.

"I've still got a lot of football in me. In the summer I spent a lot of time finding out if I still have what it takes - the desire, the hunger and the ability to go on - and I concluded that I did have."