View: Slaven Bilic must bring frozen out West Brom 20y/o in from the cold
During the 2018-19 Championship season, West Brom just missed out on promotion back to the Premier League after defeat in the play-offs.
This prompted the decision to hire Slaven Bilic as the manager and the Croatian promptly guided the club back to the top-flight in his debut season. With Matheus Pereira, Filip Krovinovic and Grady Diangana arriving on loan, the Baggies excited in attack and finished second in the table. However, this approach came at a price.
With Bilic leaning into new stars and more experienced professionals, some of the younger players lost out. Oliver Burke and Sam Field were shifted out on loan, with Burke subsequently being sold after playing fewer than 25 games for the club. But the player who missed out most was Rekeem Harper, a player who had been so impressive the season prior.
In 2018-19, Harper started 13 matches in the Championship as a 19-year-old in the centre of midfield, appearing off the bench four times. Much of his football came towards the end of the season following departures, but he impressed as a viable box-to-box option. In 17 matches he scored one goal and one assist, completing 85.2% of his passes, 1.2 dribbles and 1.5 defensive actions per match (via WhoScored).
His courage on the ball and ability to get up and down the pitch were particularly impressive, while his willingness to take players on and shoot suggested he could play an important role going forward. However, since the arrival of Bilic his career has stalled. In the last year and a half he has managed just 11 league appearances and has played just 21 minutes in the league this season.
Now aged 20, Harper has seen his development stalled over the past 18 months with his game-time limited. With Conor Gallagher in the squad and starting to settle in, Harper is not necessarily ready or able to start every game just yet. However, he is a talented young player that can breathe some life into a struggling Baggies side and get his own career back on track.
With Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers struggling for form as they adapt to the Premier League, Harper must be provided with more opportunities. Continuing down the current path will likely see more of the same for Bilic, but embracing the younger talent in the squad can bring the kickstart this season needs, while also preparing the club for the future.
In other West Brom news, ‘Do we get extra points’ – These WBA fans feel the same way about Mourinho post-match comments