Rekeem Harper sights on playing key role for West Brom
Rekeem Harper says he will return to Albion determined to prove he is good enough to hold down a starting spot in the first-team.
The box-to-box midfielder was just a teenager when he broke into the Baggies side during the 2018/19 season.
That year he made 23 appearances for the club. But he has featured just 16 times since with the 21-year-old spending the second part of last season on loan at Birmingham.
As it stands, Albion have just three senior central midfielders on their books following the departures of loanees Okay Yokuslu, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Conor Gallagher.
And with places up for grabs, Harper knows the time has come for him to start to realise his undoubted potential.
“My intentions from the off have been to go back to West Brom and give myself a fighting chance to get in the team and help the team,” Harper told The High Press podcast.
“That is my goal – to go back to West Brom and nail down a position in the team.
“To become a regular is what I am working to achieve.
“Every season is a new opportunity.
“With the loanees having left the building, that has really opened my eyes to the opportunity that is there.
“As a player you have to back yourself whether there are players there or not.
“Depending on the formation, there could be two midfield spots up for grabs or three.
“But I want one of those shirts. And I have do everything I can to get one of those shirts.
“I’m going to start the season with confidence and try and do the things I need to do to get in the team.”
When Harper moved to St Andrew’s back in January, Blues were battling relegation.
And he admits he learnt some important lessons during his time at the club.
“When you playing for West Brom in the Championship, it’s like playing for Manchester City,” the midfielder continued.
“The players are always going to be confident.
“But with Birmingham, when I arrived they had lost a few games so the confidence had taken a knock.
“When we were losing games, you felt like things were on eggs shells.
“Players were less confident and you could feel it in the group.
“You had that feeling that you didn’t know when you were going to win your next game.
“But you have to be ready, you have to switch it on quickly.
“I learnt a lot there.”
