The former Leicester City defender has joined the Tony Xia revolution at Villa.
Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez in action with Ritchie De Laet
Aston Villa announced the signing of Ritchie De Laet on a three-year deal yesterday, via their official website.
The 27-year old arrives at Villa Park after four years at Leicester City for a fee of £2.5 million, according to the Birmingham Mail.
De Laet becomes the third former Premier League player to join the Villans this summer, following the recent captures of Mile Jedinak and James Chester.
Mile Jedinak
Roberto Di Matteo will hope that the former Manchester United youngster provides stern competition for Alan Hutton at right-back and greater depth as he looks to achieve promotion this season.
The Belgian had fallen down the pecking order at Leicester, with Danny Simpson claiming a first-team spot, and he managed just 15 appearances for the Foxes last season.
Jerome Thomas (R) and Ritchie de Laet in action
He will be determined to get his career back on track at Villa and his arrival is further indication of the club’s shrewd approach to the transfer market this summer.
Villa have focused on signing reliable, Championship-proven players – several of whom have experience of being promoted to the top flight – to ensure they are equipped for the immense challenge ahead.
Villa fans took to Twitter to comment on their latest addition and we’ve provided a selection of tweets below:
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