Ex-Preston North End, Bradford City & Middlesbrough man training with Championship side after 'daunting' time
The former Sheffield Wednesday man left West Brom this summer
Former Preston North End loan man Adam Reach remains a free agent - but the 31-year-old is currently training with a Championship club.
The midfielder’s time at West Brom came to an end this summer, after three years at The Hawthorns. He signed for the Baggies on a free transfer, in the summer of 2021, following five seasons as a Sheffield Wednesday player.
Now, Reach has been taken in by Swansea City - with manager Luke Williams casting an eye over a couple of free agents, as he looks to strengthen his squad. The other is former Swans, Derby County and Coventry City defender Cyrus Christie.
Reach was a regular for PNE in their first season back in the Championship. He made 36 appearances during the 2015/16 campaign, scoring four goals for Simon Grayson’s side. That summer, the Owls paid a reported £5million to sign him permanently from Middlesbrough.
He turned out 230 times during his time at Hillsborough, scoring 24 goals. Reach only netted twice for Albion, in his 78 appearances for the club. The versatile left-footer admitted, recently, that it has been a strange period in his career - waiting for the next move.
Reach told the Football League Paper: "We're in a weird kind of paradox situation right now. 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 got 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. I'm going through ups and downs. 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."