Ipswich Town contract was among Bristol City’s best historically

admin | February 18, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Despite spending only one season at Ashton Gate, Adam Webster is fondly remembered by Bristol City supporters for his performance and significant profit for the club.

His accomplishments for the club during the 2018/19 season earned him a move to Premier League side Brighton, and over five years later, he remains with the Seagulls as they solidify their place as one of the country’s best-run clubs.

While Bristol City fans would have liked to see more of Webster at Ashton Gate, the club made a profit on him when he left for Brighton, making him a very wise signing.

Bristol City sold Webster for a reported fee of £20 million, demonstrating how Championship clubs can develop and sell exceptional players for a sustainable business model.

Adam Webster’s time at Bristol City

The centre-back joined from Championship club Ipswich Town in 2018 for an initial cost of £3.5 million, which could possibly increase to £8 million based on various stipulations, according to The Guardian.

A fee of up to £8 million is a lot of money for a Championship club to pay, but in retrospect, Robins manager Lee Johnson made the right move by signing the then 23-year-old.

Webster played 29 times for Ipswich the previous season but suffered with injuries, making signing him a risky decision.

Webster, on the other hand, thrived at Bristol City and quickly established himself as the club’s first choice centre-back, creating a strong partnership with Tomas Kalas.

Webster was signed after Aden Flint left in the summer of 2018 to join Middlesbrough. Flint had played in every game for the Robins throughout the 2017/18 season, therefore he needed to be replaced, and Webster was the man brought in to do it.

Webster appeared 47 times for the Robins during the 2018/19 season and scored three goals.

He established himself as one of the league’s top centre-backs, and it was unavoidable that Bristol City would attract interest from Premier League clubs.

Webster was named the club’s player of the season in 2018/19 and made the EFL team of the season, highlighting his remarkable performance for the Robins.

Webster maintained 11 clean sheets at Championship level, averaging 2.1 interceptions and 1.4 tackles per game, with an average Sofascore rating of 7.13 for the season.

His time with Bristol City established him as one of the league’s top defenders, and Webster will be warmly remembered at Ashton Gate.

Adam Webster’s move to Brighton

Webster’s £20 million move to Brighton was the club’s record acquisition at the time, and it was clear that Graham Potter admired Webster after facing him in the Championship the previous season.

During Potter’s stint as Swansea manager in 2018/19, his team did not score against Webster and lost 1-0 and 2-0 to Bristol City in the Championship.

The former Brighton manager stated to the BBC, “He is a quality defender, comfortable on the ball and fits the profile of the player we want to bring to the club.”

“He was very eager to join us.” He is mostly a centre-half but can also play right-back, and he will add competition to our existing defensive options.

Webster continues with the Seagulls after five seasons, though he has failed to get starts this season.

Despite only spending a season at Ashton Gate, Webster was unquestionably one of Bristol City’s best signings.

A few eyebrows may have been raised when the club announced they were paying a potential sum of £8 million to bring him to the club in 2018, but after selling him for £20 million just a year later, it’s evident that it was the right decision.

Bristol City made a significant profit on Adam Webster, and the move demonstrated how Championship clubs should operate in the transfer market.