West Brom manager Darren Moore has confirmed that the club have come to an agreement with the advisers of midfielder Rekeem Harper over keeping him at the club.
The midfielder, who has emerged as a regular in the first team’s starting XI of late, is out of contract at the end of the season and there are fears over the youngster leaving the Hawthorns for just compensation.
However, Moore insists that a big step has been taken over securing his future, with everyone involved agreeing that the best thing for the 18-year-old right now is to remain with the Baggies.
He told the Express and Star: “The update I believe is his advisers and our advisers at the club have proposed a deal. We’re one step again closer. We have moved on.
“We want to see him stay here, we’ve agreed that we want him to stay, his advisers agree that he should stay, it’s just a matter of getting it sorted now. He’s going to be a top player for us. His performances are getting stronger and better. He’s shown he has the appetite to cope at this level.”
Opinion
Young Harper has been one of the standout performers for West Brom in recent weeks and it is no surprise to hear that the club are fearful about him leaving, or that they have ramped up their efforts to try and get him to pen a new deal at the club. At his age he has to realise he is very fortunate to have found a manager who is willing to throw him into the deep end in the senior side, which is both testament to his quality but also the lack of experienced talent that Moore has at his disposal right now. Moving clubs would see him face new competition which could see him plummet to the bottom of the pecking order, rather than picking up the game time he as at the Hawthorns. Him leaving would be disappointing for the Baggies but also a big risk for the player himself. He is best off improving his terms and focusing on becoming the best player possible in surroundings where he can play football without worry or stress.