Good news for Albion fans – Tariq Lamptey says he’s back to his best and looking to improve even further next season.
The highly-rated England under-21 international started 16 Premier League games this term, following his return from a long-term hamstring issue, and already has his sights on making further progress come August.
“I’m feeling really good – I feel like I’m back and even better than before,” he said. “I’m looking to kick on next season and to keep improving.
“As a player you always have to try and better yourself. I have to keep training hard and I’m blessed that I’ve got coaches and a group that I can learn from. I just want to play as many games as possible and get to the highest level.
“My injury is in the past now and I’m just buzzing to be back on the pitch. I think I’ve played 30 games this season in total, which is excellent, and, like I said, I just need to kick on now next season.”
Like Lamptey, Albion have shown great resilience to bounce back this season. There was the 12-game winless run in the autumn, followed by six successive Premier League defeats in the spring. Despite those setbacks, Graham Potter’s side have finished the campaign with a ninth-placed finish and a host of other club records along the way.
“We’re a close group and we all try to play for each other, so when it’s tough, we dig in and we stick together,” he added. “We’ve gone through the tough moments and what we’ve worked on with the gaffer and the coaches on the training pitch, it’s obviously showed in the games.
“We trust in each other. We work hard on the training pitch and try to implement what the gaffer and coaches say to us. We always know we can get a result, it’s just about things going our way. We’ve played some fantastic football all season and I’m happy that we’re getting the points that we deserve.”
All eyes will be on the Albion to see if the side can build on their success next season. As Tariq admits, it won’t be easy but the squad will certainly be giving it their best shot.
“To pick up the record points tally for the club is amazing and we need to kick on now,” he added. “It’s been a good season but we’ve got to keep pushing for more.
“Every team has to keep improving each year, but it’s a tough league, one of the best in the world, and every week we face a new challenge. First we’ll go and enjoy the summer – then we’ll pick it up again next season.”