Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner is delighted with the appointment of manager Paul Lambert.

Lerner signed Lambert on Saturday and stressed his "leadership pedigree" was a key reason for the appointment.

The chairman believes Lambert understands Villa and will do all he can to provide success on the pitch.

He told Villa's website: "To what extent that the interview process is a peek into what a working relationship would be like, we were able to see that Paul would be a good fit.

"He understands the club's history and its current potential and has been openly supportive of the board's approach.

"We feel that Paul has the energy and the leadership pedigree to energize the Villa squad and Bodymoor Heath more generally.

"Paul has done his research, he knows our ground and most importantly our base of support. It has been a very real breath of fresh air hearing him plan for the summer and certainly the upcoming season."