Graham Potter has praised the impact Adam Lallana has already made as he prepares to hand the midfielder his Albion debut.
Lallana is fit and raring to go when Albion entertain Chelsea in tonight’s Premier League opener, but the former England midfielder has already made a big impression in the six weeks since he joined the club from Liverpool.
Potter said, “I can speak a lot about what you need to do but we now have someone in our environment who’s seen it first-hand and has achieved it.
“That’s very powerful from a leadership and a cultural perspective in terms of how we have to act on the pitch and the training ground.
“He’s a fantastic person and a good team-mate who wants to help the players. He’s not here to just focus on himself, he cares about the team and those around him which is something that’s important for us.
“He also brings quality on the pitch. We’re pleased to have him here and we have to help him enjoy his football.”
With two of the club’s most experienced players, Shane Duffy and Glenn Murray, no longer at the club, Lallana has made his presence felt as one of the squad’s older heads.
“He’s not just doing his job and going home,” added Potter. “Part of what he likes about being a footballer is helping the team and they are really important qualities to have.
“I can understand why he was a young captain and why he was so respected at Liverpool. In the short time we’ve worked with him he’s been fantastic for us.”