‘Promotion experience key factor in Ritchie deal’
De Laet’s involvement in successful campaigns is clincher for Villa boss
VILLA completed the signing of Leicester City defender Ritchie De Laet on Tuesday, with boss Roberto di Matteo singling out the right-back’s promotion-winning experience as a key factor in the decision to sign him.
Roberto Di Matteo identified right-back as an area where Villa need strengthening and the 27-yearold Belgian will be the first choice, ahead of Alan Hutton and Leandro Bacuna.
De Laet, who has signed a threeyear contract, is expected to make his debut in the Championship match against Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday.
Hutton started the season at rightback, but Di Matteo has preferred to use utility man Bacuna there in recent weeks.
De Laet enjoyed double success last season, playing a part in Leicester’s fairytale Premier League title win and helping Middlesbrough to promotion from the Championship.
He made 129 appearances for the Foxes after joining from Manchester United in 2012, scoring five goals, including one against Villa last season.
He was signed for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £2.5 million.
Di Matteo said: “I’m pleased to have brought Ritchie to the club. He is another player who not only has Championship experience but has also played a part in helping a team win promotion back to the Premier League.”
De Laet added: “On the pitch I’m a hard-working defender who likes to bomb forward.
“I think one of my main strengths is my speed and I like to use that going forward. Dressing-room-wise, I’ll probably be quiet at the start, but I’m quite a loud guy really.
“I like to have fun in training. I like a joke, I like a prank to keep everything going.
“If there’s a bad result you can’t dwell on it, so the next day get the smiles back on the faces and focus on the next game.”
Rob Tanner, from the Leicester Mercury, says: “De Laet was with the Foxes for four years and won a Premier League medal last season.
“When he first came to the club it took him a while to establish himself – but he certainly did that in the Championship-winning season.
“At the start of the Premier League season he and Jeffrey Schlupp were the full-backs and Leicester were very open in the defeat at Arsenal.
“Both are very attacking and Claudio Ranieri brought in Christian Fuchs and Danny Simpson in the next game and the team was much more solid.
“Simpson is very much a defender first and Ranieri liked that stability. De Laet loves to get forward, his biggest asset is his pace and while that pace gets him out of trouble sometimes, he can be vulnerable.
“To be fair to him, he often played behind Riyad Mahrez and was outnumbered an awful lot.
“As long as he has got people covering with him he should do well for Villa.
“He’s a good bloke really well with him.
“He’s maybe not the most animated bloke in the changing room, not like a Jamie Vardy who is much louder.
“But that said, he’s very good for the team ethos, he should fit in well at Villa. too, I got on
Dominic Shaw, from the Middlesbrough Gazette, offers his opinion: “De Laet had a loan spell with Boro last season.
“A deputy left-back at Boro has the unenviable task of filling George Friend’s boots. Yet he made an excellent job of it.
“With Friend out injured and with a shortage of right-backs, the versatile de Laet was seen a safe pair of hands who could do a job on both flanks.
“But to say he just did a job would be to do him a disservice.
“He was excellent in his opening few weeks at the club, twinning the defensive basics with a willingness to get forward down the flank at every given opportunity.
“And he can move! It won’t take you long to realise that all he’s missing is some starting blocks and spikes once he gets into full flow.
“Once Friend returned to fitness, the assumption was that de Laet would shuffle to right-back and make that spot his own, but the excellent form of Emilio Nsue prevented him from doing that.
“In truth, he failed to build on what was a very promising start but we still saw more than enough to conclude that he’s a fine defender who won’t shirk challenges or responsibilities.
“He has the Premier League quality to match his top-flight experience.
“A no-brainer for any Championship side and an excellent signing for Villa.”