Walsall have signed Rico Browne following his exit from Birmingham City, as announced by their official club website.
Walsall have handed the youngster a contract after his recent spell on trial. He has put pen-to-paper on an initial one-year deal with the League Two side, with the club holding an option for a further 12 months on top of that.
Browne, 20, cut ties with Birmingham City at the end of last season. He became a free agent in late June.
He has now joined the Saddlers and has told their website: “I’m delighted to be here. I’ve had a good 10 days and I’ve really enjoyed it. The quality and the standard is really high and that’s what I’ve been looking for.
“The plans the Head Coach has for the rest of the season suited what I’ve been looking for and I’ve felt really comfortable since I came in. I consider myself a ball playing defender. I do love to defend; I love to get aggressive but I like to take a lot of care on the ball and start attacks from the back.
“I feel like I’ve got good qualities all-round and I can’t wait to get out there at the Bescot and show what I’ve got.”
New home for departed Birmingham City man
Browne will give Walsall more competition and depth and could turn out to be a useful long-term option.
He can play in either defence or midfield so his versatility will come in handy for Mat Sadler over the coming months.
The Mancunian was on the books at Elche in Spain before Birmingham City snapped him up in 2016.
He has since risen up through the academy ranks of the Blues and was a regular at various different youth levels.
Browne was loaned out to Rushall Olympic in non-league during his time at St Andrew’s to get some experience under his belt.
He never made a senior appearance for the Midlands outfit though and they parted ways with him a couple of months ago after they slipped out of the Championship.
What now?
Browne will be pleased to have found himself a new home and hasn’t had to move far to Walsall.
It is a move that suits all parties and he will be eager to get plenty of game time with the Saddlers.
He wasn’t the only player to leave Birmingham City following their relegation. The likes of Neil Etheridge, Scott Hogan, Marc Roberts and Ivan Sunjic also headed out the exit door.
Walsall are back in action this weekend with an away trip to Salford City as they look to keep their momentum going. They beat Bradford City 2-1 last time out in the league.
