- Richards reveals reasoning for leaving Germany
- Why Palace were a better fit than Atlético
- A perfect match for club and player
Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards has revealed that he snubbed Atlético Madrid to join the South London club. Richards joined Palace in the Summer ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, and has become a key figure at the heart of Palace’s defence.
In an interview with Business of Sport, Richards and his Roc Nation agent Alan Redmond sat down to discuss his transfer to Crystal Palace and why the move to South London was the correct step in his career.
Scouted for Bayern Munich at 17-years-old, Richards signing for just £10 million has proven to be a shrewd piece of business from Palace, the American international playing a huge role in the club’s recent success.
Leaving Bayern Munich
Game time was proving an issue for Richards in Germany. Bayern had an established defensive partnership of Jérôme Boateng and Dayot Upamecano, meaning there was little room for Richards to play and impress.
“Chris wanted to come and play in the Premier League”, his agent claimed. “He was a little bit frustrated that his game time at Bayern was too sporadic.”
Richards spoke about his view on the competition for places at the Bavarian superstars. “It was Upamecano, Boateng, Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard – I’m looking at them and whilst it was -’Trust the process, you’re a young kid coming through’ – I need to start my career at some point.”
2022 was a World Cup year, and Richards had played a key role in the United States’ qualifying run, understandably leading to him wanting more game time to impress and earn a seat on the plane.
“I was a big part of the US team, I’ve established myself as a first team footballer, but when I come to my club [Bayern] I’m playing right-back, left-back, ten minutes here, ten minutes there. It’s my turn, it’s my time, and I want to play in the middle, in my position.”
When he expressed his desire to leave Bayern, he was met with a shocked response.
“What do you mean you want to leave, this is Bayern Munich, and I was like ‘yea, I understand that.” – Chris Richards
Whilst they didn’t understand where Richards’ desire to leave was coming from, the club allowed him to join TSG Hoffenheim on loan for 1 ½ seasons. When he returned, he made it clear that he wanted to leave Munich permanently in search of game time and consistency.
Redmond explained how whilst there was pre-existing interest from England, the only way Richards would get his move would be to impress and show he could perform consistently over 90 minutes, week in week out, and the loan in Hoffenheim allowed that.
“Of course I wanted to play at a big club, I still want to do that one day, but ultimately if I wasn’t playing I wasn’t happy.”
Bayern offered Richards a new deal, but Redmond explained how the finances of the deal clearly showed that he wasn’t going to be a first team player.
“Bayern really did love him, their sporting director was in a state of disbelief [when he asked to leave], but ultimately he was wasting time there.”
Not only had Bayern spent £36 million on Upamecano, but in the same window they allowed Richards to leave they bought in Matthijs De Ligt for £57 million, who was regarded as one of the World’s best central defenders at the time.
Why Crystal Palace, and not Atlético Madrid?
Richards had always wanted to play in the Premier League, and looked back on the discussions with Palace with great fondness.
“Those conversations were the best, they made me feel wanted straight away, multiple phone calls, meeting Patrick Vieira within a month, they made me feel like family regardless if I’d signed there or not.”
“They’re straight shooters, Dougie Freedman, he didn’t sugarcoat things, that’s something I value in people, tell me how it is.”
Atlético Madrid had shown keen interest in a move for the US defender, but it was seen as too much of a sideways move, with little promise of improved game time.
Redmond explained the reasoning behind picking Palace over Atlético.
“I think we felt that they were a good showcase for good young players no matter who the coach was, and while we anticipated that Patrick [Vieira] was going to last longer than he did, at the same time we knew that in recent years, the best payers, they get their exits.”
Richards’ move to South London has proven to be an excellent opportunity for development. Becoming a consistent part of the team across recent campaigns, he has been at the heart of Palace’s success, and he continues to develop and progress, cementing his status as a top Premier League central defender.
