The Price is definitely Right'

Sometimes players just come out of the blue and you are stunned they are one of yours...

When Isaac Price was purportedly being lined up to be a Baggie, just over two months ago, the time prior was one of intense worry at the direction we were actually going in??

It was a time of the ultimate test of the ‘process’..

Trust was rapidly falling out of our vocabulary.

The battle just prior to that time, was who was to be the new Baggies boss, and it had came down to two..

Rene Hake, [a name almost forgotten now], was usurped at the interview process by Rapheal Wicky, only for that appointment to 'fall on the sword' of a work visa issue for one member of Wicky’s coaching staff..

Yet within days, we’d appointed a manager whose track record of developing young players is proven and pronounced, in Tony Mowbray, and just 72 hours before, we had signed, arguably, our most technically gifted young player this past decade and beyond..

Isaac Price.

It seemed a match made in heaven,.

Price’s early training sessions, the ‘ideal’ scenario of a blank canvas for a new boss to observe, and a young player, who Mowbray simply reacted with one word.

"Wow".

And it’s easy to see why?

Price's athleticism, application of skill, shrewd decision making in possession, allied to a superb technique, honed in on 12 years at the club he supported and his family truly loved..

Everton.

From signing at age seven, subsequently missing barely a home game with his family as a fan, becoming a ball boy at Goodison Park age 11, the only overall long term aim for Price was to play for his beloved Toffees, making his debut at 19 years old.

And then, of all things, turning the club down.

Seeing the bigger picture.

Rolling the dice.

Backing the vision of yourself over the clubs.

No doubt, Isaac Jude Price, [perfectly apt middle name for a lad who made his football home in Merseyside], is not only a special player, but a character whose maturity belies his age.

A young man who speaks with authority and humility.

A young man, I'm sure that great judge of players and personal traits, Brian Clough, would have hugely respected.

Talent isn’t everything.

The way you are guided, by family as much as by coaches, can make or break you.

It’s happened at every club, including ours..

The Price narrative is replete with experiences that enabled this lad to face challenges not with fear, but with gusto and confidence.

We were so ready for Isaac Price.

In his career development path, he was so ready for us as well.

In a note to 'age' some of the older ‘Baggiebard readers’, Isaac Price was born, two days before Albion’s 1-0 win at home to Stoke, on September 26th, 2003.

The Stoke fixture was infamous for the early red cards to John Eustace and Andy Johnson, for a scuffle on a set piece, that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow in the wrestling matches, such plays are these days?

Isaac Price's birthplace is Pontefract, in Yorkshire, and goes some way to explaining his hybrid, Yorkshire/NW England accent..

The Baggies have had a previous player born in the same Yorkshire town, the eclectic goalkeeping talents of the one and only, Paul Crichton.

As a youngster, Price’s earliest football memories were watching his dad play at local league level, and hanging out with his older brother, kicking a ball around the sidelines, but as Isaac’s talents became more obvious, the family decided to move to a city with closer geographical links to several football clubs who were suitors, Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

For Issac’s family, the dream of a club showing the most interest to sign their youngest son, was Everton, and at just seven years old, Isaac joined The Toffees.

For the Price family, the beginning of a 90 Minute, 70 Mile, almost daily commute from home to the Everton Training Ground was about to commence.

A journey they were to know very well, as it was part and parcel of the Price family life for over a decade.

Attending home games became a way of life for the Price's, Issac boasts of barely missing a game at Goodison Park since he was 7, and was even chosen to be a ball boy a few times when he was 11.

I wonder how Isaac and his loyal family of blues are feeling, knowing Gladys Rd and the rest of that famous old ground will be opening it's turnstiles for the very last time against relegation fodder, Southampton on Sunday May 18th?

On a personal note, after visiting the new Bramley Green Stadium last season, it’s a world apart..

Despite being a boyhood Everton fan, when asked who Price’s biggest influence as a player was, he speaks with a mixture of slight guilt but huge admiration, not of an Evertonian, but a rival Liverpool player..

Steven Gerrard.

"Gerrard is the best box to box player I’ve ever seen, his work rate is fantastic as his technique and goalscoring".

Even to this day, Price watches footage of his idol, to inspire and inform.

You can clearly see the Gerrard influence has permeated into Price’s own style of play..

The biggest coaching influence on the young Price was a fellow technically sound player, EFC Academy Coach, Leighton Baines, who continually challenged Price at any early age to train and compete with the older Everton Academy Teams.

When you think of it, Price is one of those who simply looks very young for his age, his callow frame, belies his strengths as a player, the direct opposite to another youngster, who came through the Everton ranks, two decades earlier, Wayne Rooney.

At the time, there was demands on what country Issac was to represent at international level, as he had choices?

The country of his birth, England, or another option due to familial backgrounds?

We now know Isaac’s Grandma was beyond touchingly, the key behind his eventual long term decision for a life playing for her country of birth, Northern Ireland.

Isaac was spoilt for choice, also being eligible for Germany.

Looking at the midfield options at an England U15 Camp, that Price attended, offers a glimpse at what ‘might’ have been for the Three Lions.

A midfield three of…

Jude Bellingham

Jamal Musiala

Isaac Price.

Just imagine that trio together?

But apart from the ‘other’ Jude, family ties eventually dictated.

Musiala, whose family moved to Germany post Brexit took the Mannschaft route, and Price who took on a life as a Northern Ireland player, despite English overtones, right up until he was 19.

The Declan Rice pathway was never for him.

Being exposed to older players, physically more advanced, if not technically, pushed Price’s game even further, 

"I wasn’t the biggest, but I learned other sides of the game".

This mindset has become part of Price’s overall development, and even playing in The Championship, you can see how this mantra is still helping him thrive.

It wasn’t only Leighton Baines, who Price was impressing, but the Everton boss at the time, the legendary Carlo Ancelotti.

Maybe on first seeing this undersized energetic presence in training, Carlo’s famous eyebrow may have risen to a characteristic high curve, seeing this potential talent in front of him?

In 2020, the confidence Everton had in Price, was rewarded by signing him to a three year contract, and the future for this self confessed 'Toffee', who in his own words was,

"Living the dream".

Training with the first team, as a seventeen year old, under the watching eye and maybe, active eyebrow of Ancelotti, was motivational as it was daunting, but Price was rewarded by his first selection to the Everton bench v Brighton in April 2021.

It was an unusual Ancelotti game, as it was goalless, Everton selected at centre back, a player who would become a teammate of Isaac’s five seasons later.

Mason Holgate..

Who was unsurprisingly yellow carded..

This brief foray into the first team picture was enticing but ultimately fleeting, a stress fracture in the hip, caused Price’s 2020/21 season to prematurely end..

Eight games later it was the end, as well, for Ancelotti, who rejoined Real Madrid.

The following season another Champions League winning coach took over from Ancelotti, in Rafa Benitez, and a very different playing ethos, not exactly suited to Price’s strengths, resulting with a period playing U23 football again.

The Benitez spell was for Price thankfully shortlived, and after a short caretaker spell by Duncan Ferguson, Everton appointed the second layer of the so called, but underachieving, England ‘Golden Generation',

Steven Gerrard’s midfield partner in petty crime, Frank Lampard.

The pattern of 'football playing' coaches bringing the best out of Price, continued with the Lampard appointment, one which had a big influence on Isaac’s Everton career,

“The stature of the manager, the way he played when he was a player..

Lampard was massive for me, I learned so much when he was in charge.”

The fast track to learning came in the form of his Everton debut, albeit a short cameo v Boreham Wood in the FA Cup, two and a half months later,

Price was to make his League debut for Everton, in their final Premier League game of the season, away to Arsenal.

Price was stunned when Lampard told him he was coming on, at The Emirates,

“My legs were like jelly”.

Price was given the unenviable task of marking Martin Odegaard, who scored within four minutes of Price’s debut, but the only positive of the 5-1 Gunners victory was the early promise and energy shown by the Everton debutant.

There were offers from Division 1 and Division 2 clubs for Price to go on loan, but he turned them down in an attempt to cement a regular first team squad place in the final season of his contract at Everton, but little did he know, his final season would also be one of limited opportunity?

Everton started the season very badly under Lampard, and in the first fifteen games had only scored eleven goals, prior to the extended break for the 2022 World Cup.

Everton had an array of World Cup talent, belying their lethargy in the Premier League, with four established international midfielders, all blocking the pathway for Price’s selection.

Alex Iwobi, Idrissa Gueye, Abdoulaye Doucoure and the player Price rated by far the most highly of all his Everton team mates, Amadou Onana.

Lampard wanted to keep his team busy during the World Cup period, and Everton traveled to Australia in a three team tournament, called The Sydney Super Cup with Celtic, Sydney FC and Greater Sydney Wanderers.

Everton duly won the trophy, and Price’s performances stood out a mile, certainly in Lampard’s eyes, who viewed him as Everton’s best player..

But oddly enough, what should have been a clearer path for Price and a future with Everton, became the polar opposite..

Lampard went back to his tried and trusted experienced midfield quartet and Price was left to rue on the sidelines, his only League appearance, a substitutes role v Brighton.

For Price, it wasn’t just playing, it was the irony of who he was directly playing against?

From the brilliance of Odegaard the previous season, to now, Argentina’s recent World Cup winning midfielder, Brighton's Alexis McAllister.

A baptism of duel fires over two seasons..

To make a disappointing season even worse, Lampard lost his job, to be taken over by the polar opposite of a manager Price is likely to thrive under, Sean Dyche, on Jan 30th, 2023.

In Price’s own words,

“A new manager came in and I felt pushed aside and that just built up the frustration”.

Despite this, a new Everton contract was offered.

The safe option, maybe, would stay at your boyhood club, and continue your perhaps, ultimately forlorn effort to break into the first team, a loan here and there in between?

But in sport, at any level, if it's about anything, it’s about playing.

Competing.

Learning.

And the path less traveled may entice as it did for Price, who turned down offers from both Rangers and Celtic for life in Belgium and Standard Liege.

The pathway to Liege was made easier by the selling of the vision of the club by an Irishman, the ex Man City scout, Fergal Harkin, and with other recent English speaking signings joining as well, such as Australia's Aiden O'Neill, Price was soon to start feeling at home, but leaving home was a big wrench for the 19 year old, who had only previously ever lived with his family.

"It's tough on my family to leave and the club I love",

For an absolute bargain, 400K of EUFA compensation, Price was on his way to the Stade de Sclessian.

Certainly the first steps at independence were not easy, something Price would acknowledge later,

"I was a bit naive when I first went over, it was a big jump in the language and style of play".

Life, as ever, is all about timing and on October 8th, 2023, Issac Price truly arrived in Belgium Pro League with a 90th Minute winning goal v arch rivals, FC Brugge.

The goal was one for the ages, Price feeding off a pass from Kelvin Yeboah, to hit a 25 yard screamer into the top corner for his first League goal, and a shock 2-1 win for Les Rouches.

The reaction was one of 30,000 home fans frenzy, and absolute joy for the Liege boss, another ex Baggie, Carl Hoefkens..

For Hoefkens, it was also a high spot, with him losing his job on 31st December 2023, replaced by Ivan Leko, who has been Liege's boss ever since, and the Croatian has been crucial in Price's development.

As Price always argued, and in essence it became fundamental to his advances,

'Young players want to play football now",

Using Jude Bellingham's ascent at Borussia Dortmund as a classic example, the 2023/24 season was a break out year for Isaac Price, playing 39 games for Standard Liege, and his development had been duly noted by Northern Ireland's boss, Micheal O'Neill, who gave Price his debut v San Marino in March 2023.

O'Neill's faith in Price was rewarded with his first International goal for his country, on his fifth cap v Slovenia and he backed up his goal scoring prowess with another long range drive to beat Kasper Schmeichel of all keepers and Denmark, in Price's 9th game.

The best was yet to come, an incredible hat-trick against Bulgaria in the Euro Nations Cup, again the coup de grace, being the glorious third goal, another brilliantly hit shot, that put the exclamation mark on a remarkable performance, becoming just the 6th Northern Irish player to bag three goals in a game.

The youngest and also the only midfielder to achieve that feat.

The International goals for Price have continued, for a national team at the cusp of a very exciting time in its history, with so many young players thriving at the same time.

The latest Price goal v Switzerland, maybe his best, a technically perfect free kick last Friday v Switzerland, an inventive opening up of the angle to allow Isaac to hit an unstoppable, rapier of a shot, with the side of his foot and zero follow through.

It's ironcial that almost all of Price's goals for Northern Ireland have been set up by a fellow 21 year old, who has followed Price through all of his age level appearances, Sheffield Wednesday's on loan from Southampton, Shea Charles.

The future is bright.

The future is green.

Price now has seven goals for Northern Ireland in just nineteen appearances, the Swiss goal made even more special, with his Grandmother, [the 'reason' he took this as his international route], attending Windsor Park for the first time to see her beloved Grandson play for his chosen country.

Of course, another example of perfect timing, a commonality in Issac's fledgling career, was seeing Liege as an 18 Month/Two Year experience when he signed.

His bold move to develop and play first team, in a different culture, rather than live in that world of cameo football under Dyche, was judicious but was now coming to an end.

The two clubs bidding for Price's services were Preston North End and The Baggies, and ordinarily an outlay and investment of 2.5 Million would not be an issue, but these weren't ordinary times at the Albion under the duress of FFP.

This was an absolute no brainer.

Price was convinced and he signed on 22nd Jan 2025, on a four and a half year contract, with Liege also gaining an undisclosed % of future profit, when West Brom eventually sell their new prize asset.

On signing for Albion, Price's first impressions of the club were magnified when a Northern Ireland hero of his took him on a tour of the ground and facilities, the irreplaceable club legend, who Isaac had not previously met, Chris Brunt.

First impressions count and the Albion got it spot on.

The words of Albion's Sporting Director, Andrew Nestor, in what arguably may be his biggest coup yet, sensed the mood and direction of the club perfectly,

"Isaac is a bright, young player, whose dynamic midfield play, continues our commitment to develop a more youthful, style of play".

Another clear sign of the Bilkul Group's long term vision for The Baggies and light years away from the myopic, invisible days of the previous Lai regime.

Price was "over the moon", to return to England and his nine appearances have shown a full range of his abilities, playing centrally as a hybrid No8/10, thriving in wide right midfield as well as filling in beyond admirably at full back to cover Darnell Furlong's reckless red card against QPR.

In just nine games, Baggies fans are smitten at this young talent, from his range of postitional play, ability to offer defensive cover, passing range, and general affability, of a lad on the road to somewhere special.

When asked, about his ambition with the Baggies, his instant answer was promotion, and our chances are massively enhanced by the Price signing..

The last word on Isaac Price should go to his international boss, Michael O'Neill, whose faith in his young prodigy says everything, about his impact and his character,

" Look at football now? Have you the ability to run? Can you press or recover for your team?

Price is a brilliant boy, a great kid, everyone in the dressing room is delighted for him!"

And in a nutshell, we are beyond lucky to have this 'brilliant boy', this eloquent and modest 21 year old, wearing our blue and white stripes..

The sky, for Price the man, is simply the limit..