The Premier League has been home to some of the best players and is still the strongest league on the planet. As a result, playing for a Premier League club is a big deal, and several USMNT stars have managed to do that in recent years. The latest among those is American defender Chris Richards.

The speedy centre-back left European giants Bayern Munich to join Crystal Palace in England. Palace isn’t as big of a club as Bayern Munich, but the Premier League provides a much harder challenge to Richards than the Bundesliga.

Moreover, he wasn’t starting at Bayern, and with the arrival of Matthijs De Ligt this summer, his departure was more or less a certainty.

Patrick Vieira talks about Palace’s power in the transfer market

It is a coupe for Palace to sign a player of Richards’ calibre and the club has been on the rise since last season. Giving former Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira the manager’s role has proved to be a masterclass as the Frenchman has revived the club’s fortunes.

Palace finished in 12th place last season, but there was enough evidence on the pitch to warrant a financial investment in the team’s squad. Hence, the arrival of Chris Richards was only made possible because of Vieira, and he was very happy with the transfer.

“I think we showed [with this deal] that we can attract players. When you look at the number of teams that were behind him and he decided to come to us, I think this is a really strong statement,” Vieira said in a press conference.

Chris Richards is an important player for Crystal Palace

Moreover, Vieira also added that he is excited to see what Richards will bring to the table at Palace. The Palace manager is pleased with the options he has at the back, and will target a top-half finish next season.

“He’s going to give us different options at the back and competitiveness between players. I’m really pleased that an important player like that decided to come to Palace,” he added.

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