What will Rekeem Harper bring to Exeter City? 

Exeter City are finally back in the League One after a decade away, and they will be keen to secure dream promotion to the Championship, or at least, hold on to their status in the division at the end of the 2022-23 season. 

Manager Matt Taylor has managed to make a couple of quality additions to his squad, with English defensive midfielder Rekeem Harper arriving on a season-long loan from Ipswich Town to join the likes of earlier signings Jamal Blackman and Kegs Chauke at St. James Park.

The former England youth international has not particularly fulfilled the huge potential he displayed during his early days and teenage years at the West Bromwich Albion academy, but could the Grecians get something huge out of the 22-year-old in their bid to impress in the new division?  

Can they turn him into that midfield all-round machine he is very much capable of becoming? Check out nba player stats to answer that question.

The Baggies 2018-19 Young Player of the Year spent the second half of last season on loan at Crewe Alexandra, making 15 league appearances after playing 13 games in the first half of the campaign with Town.

With more than 100 games under his belt across the Premier League, Championship and League One, Harper brings loads of quality and much-needed experience to the table, and his versatility is something Exeter could do with right now and going forward. 

His defensive abilities apart, the Birmingham-born youngster also plays in an entertaining way, and the St. James Park crowd would likely fall in love with him if he mixes his tricks and mesmerizing style of play with constant hard graft on the pitch. 

Harper is an excellent dribbler who loves to play long balls and shoot at goal from a distance. At 6ft 2in, he has an aerial presence and is a constant threat at set-pieces.

The midfielder loves to attack and get forward, and while that has not reflected in his return of two goals in 72 career league games in senior football, playing at Exeter could help bring out the goalscorer in him. 

Given their decent start to the season, tipping Taylor's side to finish in the top six is not wide of the mark, but they need to be consistent and continually improve at home and on the road to have a chance, and players in the mould of Harper could help them achieve that. 

The player himself has a lot to prove, and with another chance offered to him at SJP, the onus is on him to impress and show the critics what he is capable of.

Harper has come a long way since he became the second player born in the 2000s to play in the Premier League five years ago in West Brom's 1-0 win over Bournemouth. 

He put pen to paper on his first professional contract afterwards and had his first taste of League One football that same season, spending the campaign on loan at Blackburn Rovers. 

Harper spent the next two seasons with West Brom, making 26 Championship appearances and helping them seal promotion at the end of 2019-20.

He made two Premier League appearances for Hawthorn before returning to Blackburn to spend the rest of 2020-21 on loan. 

A permanent half-a-million pound move to Ipswich followed the next summer before his loan exit to Crewe Alexandra during the last winter transfer window.

The one-time prodigy will now be hoping to finally prove what he is capable of at Exeter, and that could happen if he manages to establish himself in Taylor's starting XI.

Having tasted Premier League football and played alongside the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tariq Lamptey, Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho in his England under-19 days, Harper will feel deep down that he belongs to the very top of the pyramid. 

He will need to show that at SJP, and just maybe he can help fire his new side up. 

The loan move would end up benefiting both parties if that happens, and it will be interesting to see how the midfielder fares in red and white.

Exeter will not be depending solely on Harper this season, but his signing can improve their squad. 

He can become that key cog making their midfield tick, helping out in defence and attack, and he can quickly establish himself as a fans favourite if he hits the ground running.