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Webster not fazed by his price tag

Adam Webster is pleased with the way he has adapted to Premier League football, and is flattered by praise from Graham Potter, who commented on his overall talent as a defender in his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon.

By James Hilsum • 18 October 2019

By Paul Hazlewood
Adam Webster is all smiles on the training ground.

Webster has seamlessly slotted into an Albion defence that has included Lewis Dunk, Shane Duffy and Dan Burn, but the 24-year-old insists he will stay grounded and spoke about how his £20million price tag has no bearing on the way he plays.

He said, “It’s a big step up from the Championship, as you’re playing against world-class players every week. Your concentration levels need to be even higher and you can’t afford to switch off, because if you do, you’ll get punished.

“It’s pleasing to hear what the gaffer said about me, but from my point of view, I’m just focused on learning and improving each day.

“I can’t think too much about the price tag and try to just take everything into my stride. I’ve just got to do my job to the best of my ability.”

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Webster loving life in the Premier League

The defender looked ahead to the Aston Villa match on Saturday, and spoke about the qualities Dean Smith’s side possess, before praising the progress of Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings – the latter making his England debut on Monday against Bulgaria.

“They’ve got a lot of good attacking players, and don’t give much away in what is a very solid shape. We’ll have to be on top of our game and do what we can to try and stop their forward players.

“We’ll be looking to stop his [Grealish] qualities, as he’s a great player that’s done very well in recent years. We’ll be ready and will hopefully be able to keep him quiet.

“Mings is another player that’s done fantastically in the last year or so. He’s playing for England now and he deserves it.”

Much has been made of Aaron Connolly’s rapid rise to the Albion first team and senior Republic of Ireland squad in recent weeks, and Webster says the young Irishman has the right mentality to have a successful career.

“He took his chance when he got it, and he’s been playing well in training ever since I’ve been here. I’ve seen his ability first hand, and the manager has shown a lot of faith in him. He played very well against Tottenham, so it’s about trying to keep his consistency up and going from there. 

“He’s got to keep grounded, but nothing phases him, and you saw that by how he played against a Tottenham side that played in a Champions League Final last season. That’s something which will stand him in good stead.”