Rekeem Harper has left Ipswich Town after his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Stuart Watson looks back on the midfielder’s time at the club.
ARRIVING WITH PROMISE
Town’s new American money had arrived. Paul Cook had cleared the decks. It was time to go shopping.
Rekeem Harper was the third of 19 signings during a hectic summer of 2021. A deal was agreed in early June, but a change of manager at West Brom meant it wasn’t rubberstamped for more than a fortnight.
Town, a club who had been restricted almost exclusively to free transfers and loans for so long, had spent £500k on a player as a League One club.
Could this 21-year-old fill the boots of departing homegrown youngsters Flynn Downes and Andre Dozzell? The CV certainly made for exciting reading.
A Premier League debut at 17. A former England youth team-mate of the likes of Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho. Reported transfer interest from Liverpool and Juventus when he was 19. West Brom’s Young Player of the Year when they finished fourth in the Championship. Fresh from a decent loan spell at Birmingham.
This was a player who had been described by managers and pundits as having ‘wonderful balance’, ‘frightening power’ and ‘no limits’.
Town chief executive Mark Ashton said: "We've been working on this deal for the past few weeks and we're delighted to get it across the line."
Harper himself said: “I feel like it’s a perfect opportunity for me to come and settle in an environment and help a team that shares the same goal as me - getting to the top.
“This move shows my motivation and I can't wait to get started with the group.”
SIX STARTS
Following an encourahing pre-season, Harper partnered Lee Evans at the base of Cook’s 4-2-3-1 system for the opening six league games of the 2021/22 season.
A new-look side, still getting to know each other on and off the field, got off to a poor start. There were 2-2 home draws with Morecambe, MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon and 2-1 defeats at Burton and Cheltenham.
A humbling 5-2 home loss to Bolton then left the Blues in the relegation zone come mid-September.
“I know the personnel in the building and I know the players we’ve got to come in,” said Cook after that game.
“I know the characteristics of the Samy Morsy-type, for example. Everything that we lacked today will be there times 10 from him. There will be no performances like that when he’s in the team.”
New signing Morsy still had two more games of a suspension to serve first though.
CHANGE IN ROLE
Tom Carroll replaced Harper in the team for the 1-0 win at Lincoln a week after that Bolton game.
Harper came on in the 66th minute to help see the victory over the line in a more advanced role.
“If you look at Rekeem Harper coming on and playing higher up the pitch (as a No.10), we’ve probably been playing him in the wrong position for a few games haven’t we?” said Cook. “These are the things we are learning as a team.
Speaking a few days on, Harper said of his change in role: "I would say my most natural position is playing as a number eight.
“I like to be free, basically. I do my contributions for the team going backwards, obviously, but I also like to be able to go forwards and play my game.
“I think you saw some features of my game in that role. I set up a chance and helped the team grind out the result.
“I have played in the six role before, but generally I've been more in a three-man midfield that has one sitter and me being one of two eights that gets to go forwards.
“Coming here it’s more disciplined I would say. It’s more about knowing your role in the team.
“I would say I am very capable of playing that (deeper) role. It’s a lot different for me though. It’s more about what you do behind the ball and trying to make the team tick. Whereas last weekend I didn’t have to worry so much about whether I was leaving space behind me.”
DROPPING DOWN THE PECKING ORDER
It was telling that when both Morsy and Evans were unavailable for a home game against Sheffield Wednesday, Cook went with a deep-lying midfield duo of Carroll and Idris El Mizouni.
Morsy, who had arrived from Middlesbrough on transfer deadline with a three-game ban to serve, then made his debut in a 6-0 home thrashing of Doncaster.
Harper came on for hat-trick hero Evans in the final few minutes of that big win. Further sub outings came at Accrington, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Wycombe.
It was at that stage that he spoke of using a sports psychologist to channel positive thoughts.
Along came a run of cup competitions. Could Harper force his way back in? The answer was no. He started both games against League Two side Oldham in the FA Cup and also the Papa John’s Trophy penalty shootout exit to Arsenal U21s. Come early December, the Blues were out of all three knockout competitions.
Cook was sacked, McKenna was appointed and when the January transfer window opened Tyreeq Bakinson was brought in on loan from Bristol City. Harper was no longer making matchday squads.
A ‘MIXED BAG’ LOAN
On January transfer deadline day 2022, Harper joined relegation-fighting League One side Crewe on loan.
“I spoke to the gaffer at Ipswich and said I wanted to go out loan and Crewe were one of the first clubs to show a real interest,” he said.
“I remember watching Crewe at Ipswich earlier in the season and some of the football they played that day was incredible for this level.
“I’m sure the manager (David Artell) and the coaches will get the best out of me whilst I am here.”
Crewe went on to lose 10 of the 12 games that Harper started in, finishing bottom of the table.
“It was a very mixed bag,” said Aaron Lewis from the Railwaymen Podcast.
“A lot of times he looked a little bit off the pace of the game. You could see there were elements of a good footballer in there, we just couldn’t quite figure out how to deploy him.
“Towards the end of the loan he was improving but by then our season was over.”
McKenna said: "I’ve watched all of his games back and all of his clips. Hopefully it will have been beneficial for him."
GIFTING A GOAL
Carroll was released by Ipswich, but Dominic Ball arrived and young Cameron Humphreys was stating his case.
Harper was an unused sub for an opening day 1-1 home draw with Bolton. Little more than a week later, he started a Carabao Cup home tie against Colchester.
Town dominated the game against League Two opposition, but lost 1-0. It was Harper’s sloppy ball across his own box that gifted Luke Hannant the winner.
That would prove to be his last game for the club.
IN AND OUT AT EXETER
Harper was soon loaned out to fellow League One side Exeter City for the season.
“I want to get the best out of myself. I don't want to be a player who's just got the potential to be something, I want to really arrive and do something for myself,” he said.
Timothee Dieng, Archie Collins, Josh Coley and Harry Kite all started ahead of the Blues man during the opening month of the campaign though.
A nine-game run of starts came in September/October, but then manager Matt Taylor left for Rotherham and Harper found himself in the cold under new boss Gary Caldwell.
He returned to the team in late January, with Caldwell stating: “Rekeem was struggling to get game time, but since then his training levels have gone. He’s shown the quality that he has.”
Come the middle of March, Harper was back down the pecking order again. He left St James Park having started just 13 league games.
Jon Beer, a BBC summariser for Exeter City and co-host of My New Football Club, said: “I think we have to be honest, it’s not been the most successful loan spell.
“There were times he looked sharp. Obviously he’s got bags and bags of talent. But that’s no good if you’re going to show that now and again.”
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