Campbell ‘goes man-to-man with the best’ as Montreal insider reacts to new West Brom signing
George Campbell joined West Brom on Friday to become the Black Country club’s third signing of the transfer window.
The US international joined the Baggies from MLS side CF Montreal with a good reputation.
It was reported that West Brom paid £1 million to sign George, with the 24-year-old set to partner Nat Phillips at the back in the upcoming campaign.
With Ryan Mason now reinforcing his backline, many of The Hawthorns faithful are excited to see what their new signing can bring to the team.
Simon Servant reacts to George Campbell’s transfer to West Brom
While Campbell has no doubt impressed in the MLS, many of the West Brom fanbase are likely to know little about their new signing.
Therefore, West Brom News have exclusively reached out to CF Montreal reporter Simon Servant.
The journalist has seen the centre-back’s performances first-hand, and believes that the 24-year-old can go “man-to-man with the best”.
Servant said: “With Hernan Losada, in 2023, Campbell had some problems with his consistency but then gained the confidence of Losada to go a little bit higher on the pitch and help on offence.
“With Laurent Courtois, last year, he was really more involved on offence from the right side, bringing the ball up the middle and creating some chances with passes in the box.
“His role changed quite a bit this season with Marco Donadel. Campbell has been used in the middle of the defence (Donadel prefers a 4-3-3 formation instead of the 5-3-2 of Courtois with two wingbacks), and he usually goes man-to-man with the best forwards in the MLS.
“I would describe him as a solid defender who can use his frame to go physical against anybody, win a fair share of aerial duels, and, with a little touch of offence, if the formation needs him to go higher on the pitch.”
Servant then added: “Campbell has progressed a lot since his arrival in Montreal in 2023. He improved his consistency throughout the years, and he’s been one of the few bright spots of the club this season.
“He acted a little bit as a general on defence and also got the captain’s armband when Samuel Piette had to change. He’s not an all-star, but I liked his play this season.
“I’d like to mention also that he was often tasked to talk to the media before and after a lot of games. He’s a good man.”
Campbell will likely quickly prove himself under Mason
Going from the MLS to the Championship will no doubt take some adapting. However, Campbell clearly has all the qualities to do this quickly.
West Brom needed defensive reinforcements after their struggle to keep clean sheets in the latter half of the 2024/25 campaign.
| George Campbell at CF Montreal | |
| Appearances | 78 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 5 |
Now, Mason will be hoping that this issue is resolved and will be looking for early indications of this in pre-season.
The task for the manager now is to find and recruit further additions to help the Baggies mount a successful promotion campaign this season.
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