Lewis Dunk and Pascal Gross have hailed the impact the leaders in the dressing room have had on this season’s push for European football.
Albion sit in eighth spot ahead of Sunday’s game against Arsenal, two points behind Spurs and Aston Villa, but we have three games in hand over both.
Lewis believes the long-term impact of the likes of Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck has been crucial.
“Bringing in the likes of Lallana and Welbeck changed the mindset of the club in our changing room and made us even more hungry to improve – even the little things,” the skipper said. “They’ve played at the top of the game and they’ve brought that to us. It’s amazing for the young boys to learn from.
“I am one of the older players now and I am learning from them. Not many people outside of the club will know how much they’ve brought to the club, they’ve been a pleasure to work with.”
Pascal also praised Dunky, who has captained the club since the beginning of 2019 and has received plaudits for his ability to play out from the back in the last few seasons, but especially under Roberto De Zerbi.
“We are really lucky to have him. I have known him for six years, but more people see now how good he is, not only defending, but on the ball," Pascal said.
“The style is just different to how we played six years ago. He’s leading with his performances on the pitch and he always delivers.
“He gives every player confidence the way he plays, the way he defends. Off the pitch he’s a good fella and that’s even more important.”
Lewis jokingly responded, “I am going to start crying in a minute!”
Our German midfielder extended his stay with Albion until 2025 last month, having been a key player for us since his arrival in 2017.
“We have improved in every department since the first season in the Premier League. The training ground, the way we play, everything is moving in the right direction. The football we play now and the football we played when we were first in the Premier League is completely different, although we can be really proud of the first two seasons though.
“It’s very difficult to play in this league, but we have developed in the right direction. Every other club tries to improve but we’ve managed to do that every year until now.”