Adam Reach opens up on "daunting and demoralising" period since West Brom exit
Former Albion utility man Adam Reach is keeping his options open during the "scary" experience as a free agent.
The experienced Reach, who is 32 in February, reckons he could have another eight years as a player but is still awaiting a call having been released by the Baggies in the summer.
The former Sheffield Wednesday stalwart is currently training with Championship rivals Swansea as a free agent having not played a competitive fixture since Carlos Corberan's side were beaten in the second leg of last season's play-off semi-final at Southampton.
Reach operated in several positions during his time at The Hawthorns but spent most of his career as a wide player. Under Corberan he was either used on the left flank, but also in stints at full-back and in central midfield. He endured a serious quad injury prior to the conclusion of 2022/23 season and also spent periods of last season on the sidelines.
Having spoken about an existing "paradox" between players' careers extending but a growing trend in recruiting young players, Reach admitted he is open to any move around the world to return to the game.
"We're in a weird kind of paradox situation right now," Reach told the Football League Paper. "The longevity of a player's career is going up because we can all stay fitter for longer. But at the same time, there's been a shift in transfer policy where the players clubs want to sign are getting younger and younger.
"Physically, I've still of potentially six, seven, eight years left. But when teams are focusing on players under the age of 23, that makes 31 sound quite old. It's kind of a scary situation. Okay, you're not going to be able to flip me in two years' time and make a profit of £10million. But there are other components to building a team, like experience."
Durham-born former Middlesbrough youngster Reach joined the Baggies as a free transfer under Valerien Ismael in the summer of 2021 following relegation from the Premier League.
He went on to make 78 appearances in blue and white stripes before his three-year contract expired this year. Reach was unable to ever command a regular place in Albion's starting line-up under Ismael, Steve Bruce or Corberan. He was restricted to just 29 league starts in three seasons and scored two goals, both in his first term.
The versatile Reach discovered his fate a couple of days after Albion's play-off defeat at Corberan assembled his troops to deliver news on their futures.
Reach has clocked up several hundred appearances in the second tier but knows that does not guarantee him Championship interest.
"I'm going through ups and downs," he added on a search for a new club. "Ultimately, I love football. It's a little bit daunting and a little bit demoralising when the phone doesn't ring. But you've just got to hope someone eventually thinks I'll be the right fit somewhere.
"I'd go down, I'd go sideways, I'd go everywhere. The whole world is an option for me right now. I think I'm just shy of 400 games in the Championship, but I'm not naive enough to think that I deserve to be in the Championship just because I've played there for the last ten years or whatever.
"If there's an opportunity that comes up pretty much anywhere, I'd jump at the chance. I'm quite lean and naturally fit. Apart from last season when I tore my quad, I've never had any major injuries. In my opinion, I could play for another six, seven, eight years minimum. I just need someone to pick up the phone."
