Stockport County is delighted to announce the signing of Aston Villa forward Rico Richards on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
The club have fended off interest from several other EFL clubs to secure Rico’s services, as the 20-year-old embarks on the first loan spell of his career. He trained with the team for the first time this afternoon and will be available for Saturday’s game at Notts County in League Two.
Capable of playing anywhere along the forward line, Rico has impressed so far during his time at Villa Park, having joined the club from West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion in the Summer. A regular in their U23s side, he played in all three of their Bristol Street Motors Trophy group-stage outings, scoring and assisting in their game against Crawley Town in November.
A teammate of Louie Barry during their time together at both Villa and West Brom, the England youth international began his career with the Baggies at the age of seven and went on to make his debut for the first-team in a Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal in 2021. His league debut soon followed, coming on as a substitute in a Championship game against Hull City.
After making the move to Villa Park over the Summer, Rico now takes his first steps into first-team football and we are delighted to have been chosen by Aston Villa as the right environment for one of their top young talents to deliver.
First-Team Manager, Dave Challinor said:
“I’m delighted to welcome Rico to the club and hopefully he’ll have a similar impact to another Villa loanee that we’ve had. It’s Rico’s first loan but he is highly thought of and has the ball carrying ability that we don’t currently have in the squad at present.
“He can play off either side or as an attacking midfield play but we are really confident that he will impact our squad and get you, the supporters, off your seats. We are all excited for him and know that for him personally he is looking forward to making the most of this opportunity.”
Director of Football, Simon Wilson said:
“Rico is a creative, attacking player with an eye for a goal. He has performed very well in U21s football and in the EFL Trophy games, and will come into contention across all of our attacking positions as well as midfield. In our conversations so far he seems hungry to take his next step and we are excited to see how he transitions into senior football.”
Hear more from Rico in his first interview as a County player:
