2014 2015 was a weird season at Aston Villa. On the one hand, the Claret and Blue made it all the way to the finals of the FA Cup before losing to Arsenal. On the other hand, they fell to 17th place on the Premier League standings table, just narrowly avoiding relegation to the Football League Championship. Needless to say, the Lions will need some extra firepower on the field if they are going to have a brighter 2015 2016 campaign. It was recently announced that Aston Villa sign Micah Richards, this is a step that shows that the soccer club might just be taking the right steps to add the needed strength to the squad.

Micah's Manchester City History

Richards, a defender from Manchester City, is the first big signing for Villa Park this summer. The Birmingham-born footballer has been signed with the Sky Blues for his entire career, rising up through the football club's youth program before joining the senior squad in 2005. However, Manchester has underused Richards in recent years, dropping the defender from 37 overall appearances in 2011 2012 to eight in 2012 2013. This past season, they even loaned him to Fiorentina.

Clearly, the writing was on the wall for Micah's position at Manchester City. In spite of his long history with the club, Richards simply wasn't going to be a part of the Sky Blues' starting lineup anymore. While Micah was nominated for Manchester City's player of the year award in 2011 2012, for his role in helping the soccer squad win the Premier League, he was replaced in the starting lineup the next season by Pablo Zabaleta. The days of him putting in 50 appearances in a single season-as he did in 2008 2009-were over.

At 26 years old, Micah Richards should still have a few good years as a player left in him, and Aston Villa will look to harness those years starting in 2015. Richards will don the Aston Villa football shirt as a free transfer, having signed a four-year contract with the soccer club.

Why Richards is a Good Signing for the Claret and Blue

So why is Micah Richards an asset for Aston Villa? What will he bring to the football club as they fight to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves in 2014 2015?

For one thing, Micah Richards is the kind of player that fans in the Aston Villa home shirt 2014 2015 Aston Villa Home Shirt 2014 - 2015will really be able to root for. Even after he was pulled out of the starting lineup at Manchester City, Sky Blues supporters still loved and respected Richards, and gave him a very heartfelt farewell this past season as he prepared to depart the soccer club where he had built his career.

Richards is the kind of player who seems to really have fun with the game, with a huge grin that reminds us how professional sports are about work and play. He's also the kind of guy who seems to get along well with everyone. He could really be a leader at Aston Villa, especially since he is already so well known in the English Premier League.

As far as actual athletic ability is concerned, Micah certainly has what it takes to make a splash at Aston Villa. He's fast, strong, and willing to throw himself into any challenge regardless of whether or not the odds are against him. His weakness, traditionally, has been his ability to think tactically. Richards tends to charge full speed into tackles or challenges without thinking beforehand. That fearless attitude makes him a lot of fun to watch, but it has also resulted in a number of injuries that could have been avoided. If he can focus more on tactics while also taking chances and keeping his speed, he could be the core defender at Villa Park.

Celebrate the signing of Micah Richards today with an Aston Villa jersey bought at Soccer Box. We should be getting stock of the football club's new jerseys shortly, but for now, you can save 25% on the older Claret and Blue shirt.