A former West Brom forward has returned to the Championship for the first time in six years

After eight months as a free agent, West Brom academy graduate Kemar Roofe has secured a return to English football by signing for Championship strugglers Derby County.

The five-time Jamaica international has signed a short-term deal with the Rams which runs until the end of the 2024/25 season, making him the first signing of the John Eustace era after the ex-Brimingham City bosses’ bombshell decision to swap a play-off push with Blackburn Rovers for a relegation battle at Pride Park.

Roofe joins a team that are 22nd in the Championship table and currently without a win in 10 matches. He will hope to rejuvenate his career in the East Midlands after an avalanche of injury problems and could make his debut against Millwall in this weekend’s home clash.

Kemar Roofe’s career so far

Kemar Roofe spent 16 years of his life on the books at West Brom and made 78 appearances for Albion's under-23s, but never had the chance to represent the senior team. In his early years as a professional, he spent time on loan at Icelandic side Víkingur Reykjavík as well as spells closer to home at Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town, Colchester United and Oxford United. He made a solid impression during his time at the Kassam Stadium and signed permanently for the U’s in 2015.

“I was at West Brom from the age of six and I left when I was the age of 22-23, so I spent most of my life there,” Roofe told the Express & Star. “I learnt a lot and had most of my football education there, which has played a major part in my career to date.”

In the decade since his exit from the Hawthorns, Roofe has represented the likes of Leeds United, Anderlecht and Rangers - forming a key part of Steven Gerrard’s title-winning Gers team while also reaching the Europa League final with the Light Blues a year later.

Roofe left Rangers in June 2024 upon expiry of his contract, he played 102 times for the club, scoring 38 times in an ending which was marred by injuries as he struggled to get over a series of setbacks.

"We are going to have to manage him properly” - John Eustace discusses Kemar Roofe signing

This time last year, Derby County completed the signing of Dwight Gayle on a short-term deal to help the Rams get over the line in the League One promotion race and now Kemar Roofe will hope to have a big impact on the team’s survival push.

"I'm always ready – I'll do my best whenever I'm called upon,” said the experienced Roofe. However, John Eustace warned fans that he will need to manage his minutes properly amid his recent injury issues.

He told BBC Radio Derby: "He has had a lot of injury problems in the past couple of seasons, but he is fit now and hungry. We are going to have to manage him properly. He will come in and play a small part initially and let's see where we can get to with him. If he can help for the short-term with 10-15 minutes and pop a couple of goals in, that would be great."

He added ahead of the Millwall test: "He trained on Monday and Tuesday and did enough to show everyone that he can still put the ball in the back of the net, which is what it's all about. He will be involved. Ultimately he knows where the goal is and he can put the ball in the net. I'm not stupid enough to think that he can come in and start and run channels and press high and all that, but his experience and knowhow is there for everyone to see."

Roofe has only ever faced West Brom one one occasion since leaving in 2015. That came in a 4-1 win for the Baggies during the 2018/19 campaign.

The 32-year-old will hope to feature at the Hawthorns when Derby face West Brom on Monday 21 April in a match which could have a huge impact at both ends of the table come the end of the season.