Premier League duo Spurs and Norwich City reportedly want to raid Championship play-off semi finalists West Bromwich Albion for Rekeem Harper.
West Bromwich Albion coach Jimmy Shan claims Rekeem Harper was left out of the Championship semi-final defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday purely for tactical reasons, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
The speculation surrounding the teenage midfielder’s future went up a notch when he was left out of the matchday squad at Villa Park.
Harper had started four of West Brom’s last five Championship games after all so his exclusion really caught the eye, particularly with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.
The 19-year-old has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur by The Mail while newly promoted Norwich City are also eyeing a bargain swoop for one of the Football League’s biggest talents, as reported by The Sun (10 May, page 57).
Shan, however, has attempted to play down suggestions that Harper’s Baggies career is all but over.
“We came with a game plan to sit a bit deeper and be a bit more compact and maybe have more of a defensive head on,” Shan said.
“Can Rekeem do that? Of course. But there were other players in his position that I felt were better suited for that role and responsibility.
“Rak is a powerful young boy, very good in the half-turn and he can play forward. He is probably more of an offensive midfield player than one that will sit in and screen and deny.
“There is a lot at stake but we’ve just got to crack on and get on with it.”
The likes of Izzy Brown, Kemar Roofe and Chris Wood left West Brom before fulfilling their potential at The Hawthorns and it seems increasingly likely that Harper could follow in their footsteps.
If he moves to Tottenham, Harper will find himself working under a manager who has a habit of turning talented youngsters into established England internationals.
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