ABERDEEN have completed the capture of Scotland international Paul Hartley.
33-year-old midfielder Hartley, who has played for four clubs in the SPL, has been freed by Bristol City after an unsuccessful spell at Ashton Gate.
Hartley started 266 SPL games for Hibs, St Johnstone, Hearts and Celtic between 2001 and 2009, scoring 52 goals. He has commanded transfer fees totaling over £2m in a career that has taken him to 10 clubs north and south of the border.
He has also obtained 22 Scotland caps, scoring one goal against Slovenia in Celje during Scotland's unsuccessful World Cup 2006 qualifying campaign.
Speculation that the midfielder had put pen to paper went into overdrive when a beardless Hartley was pictured at Vale Park on the official AFC website RedWeb.
And the conjecture for once had foundation as the Dons unveiled the player less than 24 hours after the team's 1-0 victory at Vale Park.
Hartley was in the West Country today to arrance the termination of his contract at Bristol City, leaving the 22-times capped Scotland midfielder free to sign for the Dons.
He then headed up the M5 for signing talks with Dons boss Mark McGhee and was invited to watch the pre-season friendly against Port Vale by Aberdeen officials.
McGhee said: "[Hartley] is a quality player, quality individual and a great pro.
"He will be a great example and great mentor for the likes of Fraser [Fyvie] and Peter [Pawlett] and the other young players.
"He'll bring a lot more than simply the performance on a Saturday to the club and to the squad."
Hartley joins fellow new signings Rory McArdle, Josh Magennis, Mark Howard, Axel Folley and Scott Vernon at Pittodrie as McGhee continues to revolutionise last season's disappointing squad.
