The Aussie midfielder is settling into life at Ewood Park after a decade in mainland Europe and can’t wait to experience the English Premier League.

He told Blackburn’s official website: “I’d made up my mind to leave Italy. Obviously it wasn’t that simple but Blackburn made an important offer and I’m happy to be here.

“I’d spent 10 years in Italy and I learnt a lot there. I’m happy that I started my career in that country but it was just getting a little bit stale there.”

Grella feels the Premier League has the X-factor that made it hard for him to turn his back on.

“Italy is still an important country to play in but the English Premier League had something special that i wanted to be involved in,” he said.

As he prepares to try and join countryman Brett Emerton in the Rovers starting line-up, Grella believes England’s desire to secure the best foreign talent has resulted in a top quality product for supporters.

“I think the clubs have invested a lot of money in bringing in the top players and they have improved the football as a consequence. I thought it would be good to measure myself against such a good league,” he said.