West Brom complete loan deal for Crystal Palace's Danny Imray - as boss makes 'specialist' and 'prove a point' claim
Albion have sealed the six-month loan signing of Crystal Palace prospect Danny Imray.
The 22-year-old, a right-back or wing-back, becomes the second January transfer recruit for new boss Eric Ramsay following goalkeeper Max O'Leary.
Imray's loan signing was completed prior to the EFL registration deadline of midday before matchday and the Crystal Palace product is eligible to make his Baggies debut in Saturday's crunch Championship six-pointer at Portsmouth.
The attack-minded wing-back spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Blackpool in League One, where he caught the eye towards the end of his spell and scored twice in December having been shifted forward to wing-back following injury and a managerial change.
Albion targeted the right wing-back position with no natural candidate play there in head coach Ramsay's preferred 3-4-3 formation.
Winger Mikey Johnston started there in Ramsay's first game in charge and attacking midfielder Isaac Price has since operated at right wing-back.
London-born Imray, of Trinidadian descent, was snapped up by the Eagles from non-league football in 2021 and caught the eye in a season-long loan at Bromley for a first taste of regular Football League action last term.
Blackpool had hoped to retain his services for the second half of this season but the skillful and pacy wing-back was recalled by his Selhurst Park parent club.
"He is a real specialist on that side and crucially is on an upward trajectory," Ramsay said of Imray.
"I think if you look at his career path, it's really interesting and one that I'm always drawn to when a player comes from a level of obscurity to an extent and goes to a big club and copes well.
"He then goes on loan and does really well in League Two (with Bromley) and then goes on loan to League One and does really well and seemingly copes with every step up that gets put in front of him.
"He's a very confident lad as you'd probably take from his career pathway.
"He's taken steps quickly, he's done well everywhere he's gone and is desperate to come here and prove a point."
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