July 2023: Aged 19, becomes the twenty second player to be signed by Villa from West Bromwich Albion 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 after Tim Iroegbunam 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2021), Finn Azaz 🇮🇪 (2021), Triston Rowe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2021), James Chester 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (2016), Joleon Lescott 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2015), Arjan Raikhy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2015), Brad Young 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2015), Curtis Davies 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2007), Paul Crichton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1997), Ugo Ehiogu 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1991), Jim Cumbes 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1971), Jimmy Dugdale 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1956), Vic Crowe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (1952), Davy Walsh 🇮🇪 (1951), Harry Hadley 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1905), Tom Perry 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1901), Chris Mann 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1899), Willie Groves 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (1893), Jack Reynolds 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1893), Bob Roberts 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1892), Tommy Green 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1887) and Arthur Loach 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1886).
July 2023: Aged 19, becomes the eighth player acquired by Villa from West Bromwich Albion’s youth team set up after Tim Iroegbunam 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2021), Finn Azaz 🇮🇪 (2021), Triston Rowe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2021), Arjan Raikhy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2015), Brad Young 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (2015), Ugo Ehiogu 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (1991) and Vic Crowe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (1952).

“Rico is very much in that bracket of elite talent. He’s in the same bracket as Morgan [Rogers], and Izzy [Brown] and Tyler (Roberts).

“Just for me, coming in, all you heard was ‘Rico is going, Rico won’t sign’. It was important, as I said to Mark Jenkins and Luke Dowling, that was show as an academy that we can provide a pathway and an opportunity for our young boys. Rico has been a talent for many years - talent is only where you are now. Rico has to go and grow a career now, and develop himself."

Academy manager Richard Stevens.