Manchester City have signed former England Under-21 goalkeeper Stuart Taylor from Aston Villa in a move that will allow Joe Hart to leave Eastlands on loan.
Taylor, who follows Gareth Barry from Villa Park to City, will serve as back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Shay Given, with Hart expected to join Birmingham City in a season-long switch in the coming days.
The 28-year-old Taylor spent four years at Villa after joining from Arsenal.
It offers Taylor a chance to see if boss Mark Hughes, and goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchcock, live up to their impressive billing after Friedel worked with the duo at Blackburn.
"I talked to Brad for some advice and he couldn't speak highly enough," Taylor told www.mcfc.co.uk
"I can't wait to start.
"This is a fantastic club to be joining, a club that is going places."
The 28-year-old is City's third signing of the summer and follows in the footsteps of Gareth Barry, who could be installed as Blues captain if Sunderland pursue their apparent interest in Richard Dunne.
With Hughes still to strengthen his defence, it is unlikely he would allow Dunne to leave just yet.
However, if the quality he has brought in this summer is anything to go by, Hughes may eventually view Dunne as a disposable asset in the quest for honours.
The Welshman has already suggested the lack of European action for City next season could work to their benefit.
Yet he concedes if Roque Santa Cruz had arrived last season, the Blues might well have been in the new Europa League.
Hughes said: "If we could have had him in the side at the beginning of last season, his presence in certain games, against certain opponents, would very possibly have made a difference to the results that we had."
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