Rico Richards joins Aston Villa academy following West Brom release

Richards, 19, joined Albion at the age of seven, before going on to pen his first professional contract at the club in August 2020.

He became a regular in the Baggies PL2 side, and made his senior debut in an EFL Cup defeat to Arsenal in August 2021.

Richards was handed his league debut as a late substitute in a defeat at Hull City last season - before he was among a handful of youngsters to be released by the club at the end of the campaign.

Now Richards has followed the path of a number of highly rated Albion youngsters who have made the switch to Villa in recent seasons.

Villa academy manager Mark Harrison, who himself left West Brom to join Villa in 2019, is looking forward to seeing the youngster develop.

He said: "We are delighted Rico is joining us as he had a number of options but was very keen to come to us.

“He is a young player with potential who has already played at first-team level and previously represented England at youth level.

“He is an attacking player with a lot of creative attributes and has an eye for goal. We look forward to working with him and seeing how he will develop."