Allback seeks maturity as he toasts the claret and blue

As a wine buff, Marcus Allback will appreciate the merit of claret. Whether claret and blue will prove a winning colour combination may be a little clearer following this afternoon's game against Liverpool but, as someone joining Aston Villa while the revolving door is carrying people out at an alarming rate of knots, the Swedish striker insists he has found exactly the club he was looking for in what he also insists is now the best league in Europe.

An archetypal Swede, with his blond, highlighted hair, pale blue eyes, faultless command of our language and a frank, open way of using it, the 29-year-old Allback says of wine: "I like reading about it. I like drinking it as well." But it is champagne he is entitled to be hoisting after what he clearly feels have been a perfect three months: the birth of a daughter, Philippa, a good World Cup and a move from the Dutch league to where he has always yearned to play.

It was in Holland, with Heerenveen, that Allback started to do what strikers are there for, scoring 25 goals in 48 matches, cementing a place in Sweden's team alongside the Celtic wizard, Henrik Larsson, and catching the eye of the man he calls "The Chief", Villa manager Graham Taylor. An unusual clause in Allback's contract, stipulating that for one month this summer, starting on 15 May, the £4 million-rated player was available at a 50 per cent discount, persuaded Taylor to pounce and sign (for a fraction over £2m) a class act who had also interested Sunderland and Southampton.

Ever the theoretician, Taylor explains the purchase thus: "What you see with Marcus is what you get. He is a forward who makes great runs for other people to receive the ball. Runs like that are not always appreciated by supporters, but I am sure Larsson appreciates them when they play together in the Swedish side. That is one of the reasons I bought him. Come a miserable November afternoon when you are away from home and up against it and you need that ball closed down and chased, Allback will do that for you. He is a very honest and open lad."

What the fans hope is that he will also provide goals to lift Villa's flagging rate in this department. "Goals are what most people expect from a striker," said Allback. "I am never suggesting I am going to score 20 goals a season, but I want to play as much as possible and if you do that, well, the goals will come. I am a striker who likes to run a lot and that's what The Chief wants me to do, not just stand in the box and try to score from crosses. Maybe take the heat off the other lads."

It was as a child in Sweden that Allback developed his thirst for English football, via televised matches. "I have always admired it and followed it," he said. "I supported Arsenal, actually. I was a big fan of Ian Wright, the goalscoring machine."

Having suffered the one serious injury of his career (he gives the table a resounding knock as he talks about it) in 1991 as a junior with Gothenburg's second club, Orgryte – a broken leg and three torn ligaments – Allback set about doing what most Swedish players do, attempting to catch the eye of bigger clubs in other countries.

Five years ago, while playing for Lyngby in Denmark, he was taken on loan by Bari in what became an unpleasant six-month experience. Allback explains: "England and Italy are the most opposite countries you can find [for football]. In England it is physical but still fair, in Italy it is physical and far from fair, not my way of playing. I am not saying that because I didn't succeed as a scorer. I started 15 games but failed to score, so they told me there was no need to continue. You can be doing everything right and then the guy who plays next to you, standing there picking his nose for 89 minutes, scores and is made man of the match. In Italy they only want you to score."

In most other countries, too, as a matter of fact. So Holland, Allback's next stop in Europe with Ruud van Nistelrooy's old club, Heerenveen, was considerably less bleak. "Holland has more similarity to England because they not only appreciate it if you score, but other things too. But it was the same there as when you go to a club – here comes a new guy and he is going to score. I started to score, had a great time there and also became a regular in my national team."

But the desire for English football never slackened. "During my last few months in the Dutch league I tried to put it aside and told everyone it was not a problem, but it was lying there and growing. So when The Chief came in for me he didn't have to persuade me. I got a great feeling as soon as I heard Villa were interested."

Allback's compatriot and Villa defender Olof Mellberg also put in his two pennyworth, but Marcus claims it made no difference. "Even if Olof had suggested I look at other options, this felt the club for me. My intention was to come to a club exactly like this, one that was not top three, because that wouldn't give me much opportunity to play, but also not a team that is ending up around 15th place all the time. For me, this is the perfect team and the perfect challenge."

Allback, his partner, Suzanne, and daughter have just moved into a house at Sutton Coldfield, and he describes Birmingham as "great", while conceding it will not exactly further his spare-time passion, sailing. He has been delighted by the welcome at the club. "The other players took me in directly as one of the lads."

And he is not concerned about criticisms from departing players that Villa lack ambition. "I have been here a month and everything has been great. As far as I am concerned, it is time for me to try my wings in the best league in Europe." Spain, he says, has the next best league. Italy don't get a mention.