Jewell hoping to have another Chimbonda on his hands with Villa

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Chimbonda was an unknown when he signed for Wigan from French side Bastia for £500,000 in July 2005 at a time when Jewell was Latics boss.

Just over a year later, and despite an ignominious exit from the JJB Stadium, the Latics made a £4million profit on the 28-year-old full-back when he joined Tottenham, such was his impact.

Jewell's £2million swoop for Argentinian striker Villa, found plying his trade in Mexico with UAG Tecos, has also raised eyebrows, in particular as he has only seen the player on videotapes.

Yet Jewell believes 26-year-old Villa could prove to be as big a hero with Derby fans as Chimbonda was with Wigan supporters.

"Goalscorers are always in demand," said Jewell. "I know no-one ever shows you a bad tape, but of the games I've watched - and it's a lot - he looks to have decent movement, is good in the air, and he can finish with right and left foot.

"He almost sounds too good to be true, and like any manager, you want to watch them play yourself on more than one occasion. But we live in a world where that's difficult to do. So you have to trust your contacts, and maybe we'll have another Chimbonda on our hands.

"When I signed him for Wigan, everybody said 'who?' so let's hope we're as successful with Emanuel as we were with Chimbonda. While nothing is ever guaranteed, he was really keen to come and the deal was done very quickly.

"I'm looking forward to working with him, and I'm really excited about him. He seems hungry to score goals."

Jewell was further impressed by the way Villa, who goes by the nickname of 'Tito', presented himself on Friday to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal.

"Sometimes you speak to a player and it's like getting blood out of a stone. They are quite serious," added Jewell.

"But he is very bright, very happy to be here, and he is looking forward to playing.

"When you sign players - even British players - you sometimes get the feeling that they think they are doing you a favour by turning up and signing.

"I know it's a silly thing, but these days players turn up for talks in jeans, trainers and earrings. This kid turned up with a collar and tie, and he looked the part.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd rather him be a scruffy b****** and score goals, than him be smart and not find the net.

"But my first impression is that he is keen to get started."

Jewell knows he has taken a big gamble on Villa, who was yesterday paraded to Derby fans at Pride Park ahead of the 2-2 FA Cup third-round draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

But after watching him in training on Saturday, Jewell feels reward will outweigh the risk, even if he does not score the goals that keep Derby in the Premier League this season.

"Some of the balls going into the box yesterday, he will get on the end of them, that's for sure," insisted Jewell.

"Like any overseas transfer, it's a risk, but it's the same with any signing. This is one I think will come off.

"It's not as if we're paying £10million for a player who is going to stretch us to the limit and influence things in the summer if we do go down.

"There's no doubt we are staring down the barrel, and I've half an eye on the future, but for the money we're paying for him, it's not extortionate.

"Although we're in a tight situation at the moment, it's not going to harm the club too much, and I feel he will enhance us."

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