George Campbell believes joining the Baggies in the middle of the MLS season gives him a massive opportunity to hit the ground running.
The USA international, who signed a four-year contract on Thursday, featured 18 times in all competitions between February and the start of July for previous side CF Montréal prior to making the switch from the States to the West Midlands.
He arrives at Albion fit, ready, determined and in “season mode”, which the defender insists provides the perfect platform to be able to adapt to new surroundings and new coaching instructions a lot quicker.
Campbell said: “I’m really excited to be here. It’s been a good, but tiring, 24 hours or so (flying across from the United States). It’s been amazing. I honestly can’t wait to put my boots on and start training.
“I heard there was slight interest in me a couple of months or so ago. It was nothing to take my focus away from playing at Montréal.
“Only about two weeks ago did I have a feeling something might happen and I might get a chance. When that chance came I really wanted to take it and I’m glad it came. I wanted to experience football in Europe. I’m ready to go.
“It’s a big advantage for me to join Albion having already played half a season in the MLS, especially in terms of having that sharpness on the ball and high cardio levels.
“More importantly, I’m already in an in-season mode in my head. I think that’ll give me an advantage to be able to adapt to the coach and the players. Physically, it means I can be ready for the challenges to come.
“It's going to be a grind of a season and I need to be ready for that. I’m extremely excited to put the boots on and start. The biggest thing for me is to stay focused on the task at hand and that’s to do my best to help the team win. Whatever challenges appear on the journey, I’ll be ready for them.”
George describes himself as someone who places plenty of value on “playing forward as much as possible” when in possession of the ball.
From a defensive point of view, the American says he prides himself on “not getting beaten one-on-one” and “being versatile”.
He added: “I like to be brave on the ball and think about playing forward as much as possible. I want to get on the ball as much as I can.
“I want to help the team keep possession of the ball, create some chances and score goals.
“Defensively, I take pride in not getting beaten one-on-one and covering my team-mates in behind. I’ll try to bring a good variety of things that we can all work with each other on.
“I’ve watched a lot of defenders such as Virgil van Dijk, Thiago Silva and Vincent Kompany. There’s a tonne of players and I could go on, but I try to take as many pieces as I can from other players and their game.
“I pride myself on being versatile and taking bits of everyone’s game.”
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino handed Albion’s new recruit his senior international debut in January, a man Baggies head coach Ryan Mason knows extremely well.
Campbell said: “I knew a lot about Ryan Mason having watched him play for Tottenham Hotspur.
“We spoke before I joined and he told me he was close with Mauricio Pochettino from his time at Spurs. Pochettino is the manager of the US Men’s National Team, so there are small connections there.
“I did a few bits of digging on West Bromwich Albion as a club and the players here. It’s exciting to be here because I remember watching some games when I was a kid, such as when Romelu Lukaku was here. I’m looking forward to seeing what the club is all about.”
George will link up with fellow American Daryl Dike in the senior squad.
He says it’s extremely helpful to have a player from the same country in the group and believes the striker can help him settle into life at The Hawthorns.
“I’ve actually never met Daryl Dike before, but when you see a fellow countryman, you automatically want to get to know them”, said Campbell.
“I’m sure he’ll make me feel comfortable and like I’m at home. It’s a good connection to build on and hopefully that connection can branch out to all my other new team-mates, but Daryl was one of the first ones who came to me and said ‘what’s up’. I’m really excited to get to know him and the rest of the guys.”
