Marc Albrighton: West Bromwich Albion winger wants his kids to see him play
- Published
Marc Albrighton has scored 19 goals in 295 appearances for Leicester over the last eight and a half seasons
New West Bromwich Albion winger Marc Albrighton hopes that joining the Baggies will give his kids more chance to see him play football.
But the January deadline day loan signing from Leicester City also concedes that all the evening kick-off times may cause a few bedtime issues.
"I've looked at the fixture list and there's a lot of eight o'clock kick-offs," he told BBC Radio WM.
That starts with Friday's home date with Coventry City, at 20:00 GMT.
"My kids are at an age where I want them to come and see me play," he said. "I didn't want to just fade out and call it a day. I want them to come and watch me try to achieve something with Albion.
"My young daughter didn't even know I was a footballer. She just thinks dad goes to work every day. But the two elder ones have started taking an interest. It gets spoken about a lot at school.
"I was born and raised in the Midlands," added the 33-year-old Tamworth-born former Aston Villa player. "So I know all about the Albion.
After first joining Villa at the age of eight, Albrighton was released by Paul Lambert before being quickly snapped up for Leicester by Nigel Pearson in May 2014
"I've got friends and family who follow Albion. So I've always known about the size and the stature of the club."
Albrighton might even be a contender to make an immediate debut, as a replacement for the injured Matt Phillips.
He is not short of first-team football and could be drafted straight into an Albion team in need of a quick pick-up after successive losses for the first time under Carlos Corberan - the 2-1 league defeat at Burnley and last weekend's FA Cup fourth-round battering at Bristol City.
However, Albrighton says that his arrival as Albion's second deadline day signing after Fulham midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah might not even have happened at all.
"It was on and off and on and off," he said. "It was only a few days before the window closed that I heard of the interest from Albion and I'd already had the conversation with the manager at Leicester at the start of the month when the window opened.
"I was probably in a comfort zone at Leicester. Having so many friends there it can feel quite comfortable, but I knew I needed a new challenge.
"I told him I wanted more first-team football between now and the end of season. He fully understood and has helped this deal come about."
Albrighton helped win the Premier League title in 2016
Now Albrighton, who was signed for the Foxes by Nigel Pearson, won the Premier League in Claudio Ranieri's first season, but has slowly been fazed out by Brendon Rodgers, faces the new challenge of playing under Carlos Corberan.
"I've seen the upturn in form since he took over," he said. "And you've got to admire what he's done.
"The first conversation we had was about mentality. He wanted someone who gives 100% in every game. But, throughout my career, that has always been an absolute given.
"Albion have quality in the attacking half of the field and competition for places all over the pitch. So it will be good to be a part of.
"If the wide men can produce the crosses, the strikers should thrive.
"The club have put themselves in a fantastic position coming into the business end of the season. Now we have to push on and make sure all that hard work doesn't go to waste."
Marc Albrighton was talking to BBC Radio WM's Rob Gurney.