Rickie Lambert admits to feeling like a spare part at Liverpool and West Brom, wants to be relied upon again

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The striker left the Baggies to join Championship Cardiff City on transfer deadline day.

New Cardiff City signing Rickie Lambert has admitted to BBC Sport that he wants “to be relied on” again after feeling like a spare part at both Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion.

Lambert completed a permanent move to the Bluebirds from the Baggies on transfer deadline day, signing a two-year deal to return to the Championship for the first time in six years.

The 34-year-old, who found huge success with Southampton, endured miserable spells with Liverpool and Albion, scoring just two Premier League goals in his only season with the former and making just five league starts in two years at the latter.

He has now completed a move to Cardiff, where he will reunite with his former Bristol Rovers manager Paul Trollope as he seeks a return to a leading role.

Lambert suggested that he was left feeling like “a chess piece” at Anfield and in Birmingham, and admitted that he is desperate to be the main man again.

He told BBC Sport: “I want to be relied on, like I have been all of my career. Throughout my career everyone in the club has looked upon me to score goals, relied on me to push the team forward and at Liverpool it was kind of I was a chess piece and the same at West Brom.

“I am used to being the main man and teams revolving around me. Obviously if that happens the teams gets the rewards out of me, I feel. I am desperate to enjoy my football again. I’m 34, obviously I want to be playing now until I retire, whenever that is going to be.

“I don’t want to be sitting on the bench and I don’t want to be remembering the last few years of my career sitting on the bench somewhere. I want to be playing and if that means dropping down from the Premier League that doers not bother me whatsoever. I loved the Premier League, I loved getting there, I have had great memories. But being relied on, playing and being involved in a team week in week out means more.”

Lambert clearly has his eyes on being the main man under Trollope once again, and after six years away and now in the twilight of his career it will be interesting to see if he can have the same sort of impact on the Championship as he had in his single season in the division with Southampton.