ALBION have today completed the signing of Liam Ridgewell for an undisclosed fee from Blues - the club's second January capture.The 27-year-old has penned a two-and-a-half year deal, plus a further year's option in the club's favour, after passing a Hawthorns medical.
The 6ft 2in defender has been handed the No.6 shirt but is not eligible to play in tomorrow's Barclays Premier League trip to Fulham (ko 8pm).
Ridgewell can play at left-back or centre-half and is renowned for his aerial ability in both boxes.
His arrival follows the signing of midfielder Scott Allan from Dundee United earlier this month.
Bexleyheath-born Ridgewell spent six years at West Ham before joining Villa as a 15-year-old.
He helped the claret-and-blues win the 2002 FA Youth Cup and spent a brief spell on loan at Bournemouth in the same year, making his professional debut against Hartlepool in the October.
Ridgewell was handed his first-team debut for Villa by then-boss Graham Taylor in an FA Cup clash against Blackburn in January 2003.
He has experience of playing for England Under-19s in the European Championship Finals and for the Under-20s in the Toulon Tournament.
Ridgewell also has seven caps to his name at Under-21 level, helping them qualify for the European Championships in 2003.
In August 2007, after making 90 appearances and scoring six times for Villa, he moved across the city to join Blues in a £2million deal, where he established himself as a first-team regular.
Following relegation, he helped the St Andrew's club bounce straight back to the top flight during the 2008/09 season.
The following campaign, he played an integral role in City finishing ninth in the Premier League.
Last term, he was a key figure in Blues' Carling Cup success, playing the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 victory against Arsenal at Wembley, and has enjoyed his first taste of Europa League football on the back of it.
But despite being part of a defence that kept nine clean sheets, Blues slipped back into the Championship last May.
In total, Ridgewell has made 273 career appearances, including 25 as a sub, scoring 18 goals.
http://www.wba.co.uk/page/News/0,,10366~2595192,00.html
