Danny Imray insists he’ll “give everything” to the team, the supporters and head coach Eric Ramsay in an bid to help push the Baggies up the Sky Bet Championship table.
The 22-year-old full-back has joined the club on loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace until the end of the 2025/26 term.
Imray enjoyed successful loans at Bromley and Blackpool in Sky Bet League Two and Sky Bet League One respectively, and says he’s determined to both “prove” himself in the second-tier and have a positive “impact” on Albion’s performances and results.
Danny said: “I’m buzzing. When the opportunity came up, it certainly wasn’t something I could turn down.
“I’ve had quite the journey in the past 12 months or so, playing in League Two and then League One in the first part of this season. I’m here in the Championship now and you always want to be tested as a player and against the best. I’m buzzing to be here and I want to prove myself at this level.
“The move here moved pretty quickly. I only heard about the interest a couple of days ago. Obviously, you get the usual calls from your agent, but I spoke to Crystal Palace about the interest and as soon as I knew there was actual interest, the move is something I was pushing for.
“As a footballer, you want to be playing as many games as possible and that’s what I want to do here.
“Every club I have been at, I’ve learnt new things. You have new experiences and you play with plenty of players who have played at various levels. You learn new things every day. You want that as a player, but you don’t learn if you don’t experience new things. The loans I have had previously have been excellent.
“Everyone here will say that we’re not getting the right results. I’m hopefully here to have an impact on that and, hopefully, we can change it.
“As I said before, I want to come here and play games, but, most importantly, I want to play a part in helping this team move forward. It’s a massive club and it shouldn’t be where it is. I’m going to do everything I can for the team, for the supporters and for the manager to get us up the table and back to where I feel like we belong.
“We need to fight and get ourselves out of this situation. At the end of the day, whether we like it or not, we’re at the wrong end of the table and we’ve got an uphill task to get away from it. I’ve watched Albion a lot and I’ve seen the team and we’re good enough to get out of this situation. I’m here to try and help us do that.”
The new recruit’s career started in non-league, breaking through into the Chelmsford City XI as a teenager.
It was there where his “tenacious” and attack-minded playing style developed, and Danny believes without that grounding, he wouldn’t be the athlete he is today.
Imray added: “My career started in non-league and playing in non-league is very different to playing in these leagues. Obviously as you move up, it gets a lot more technical and the game is different.
“I would say that non-league made me. The player I am today – being tenacious and liking to get stuck in – if I hadn’t had that experience before when I was younger, I don’t think I’d be the player I am now.
“I’m a full-back, but I love to attack. That’s probably my main strength. I’ll give everything on the pitch. I’m powerful and I like to get forward. Obviously, defending is my job, but I do love to go the other way and I like to get the fans on the edge of their seats.
“In this formation here at Albion, the wing-backs are heavily involved. You have to be involved for the whole game, providing the width, attacking and defending. A lot of managers play with wing-backs these days, including at Crystal Palace. The game is evolving and I’m really looking forward to playing in that system here and learning under the new manager.”
