Scottish Premiership champions Celtic were apparently ‘likely’ to sign Rekeem Harper – before he signed a new West Bromwich Albion contract instead.
When Rekeem Harper was shining in the Championship during the second half of last season, few would have dared to believe that he would barely get a kick of the ball under Slaven Bilic once the affable Croatian took over at the Hawthorns.
But football is a fickle game and, after seemingly establishing himself in the first-team picture under Jimmy Shan, Harper is back with the reserves – despite ending doubts over his future with a new long-term deal until 2022 in July.
The gifted midfielder has played just six minutes of Championship football under Bilic – and every single one of those came in the opening day win at Nottingham Forest. In fact, Harper hasn’t been included in the matchday squad since August 10.
And the 19-year-old would be forgiven for wondering how different the season would have panned out if he’d joined Celtic instead. The opportunity was there and, according to the Daily Record, Harper was ‘likely’ to put pen to paper with the Scottish champions before committing his future to the Baggies instead.
A midfielder with the ability to carry the ball with class and purpose is always going to fit into a Neil Lennon team and, though Celtic are not short of talented playmakers themselves, it’s reasonable to expect that Harper would have had more than six minutes of football to his name by now at Parkhead.
Though it’s important not to get carried away here. The England U19 international is still a teenager and he will get chances, should he impress for the U23s. Bilic is no fool, however, and he knows that the unforgiving Championship, with its feast or famine reality, is probably not the place for a kid who is still learning on the job.
Harper has three and a half seasons left on his West Brom contract. Then again, none will be as frustrating as this one.
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