Bristol City look on the verge of losing a talismanic central defender for the second summer in a row as Brighton reportedly close in on the signing of Adam Webster.

The 24-year-old arrived from Ipswich Town last summer as a replacement for the departing Aden Flint and put together a sensational debut season at Ashton Gate.

The man that some Robins fans have come to call ‘Webdini’ made 47 appearances in the 2018/19 campaign, scooped both of the club’s player of the year awards, and finished the season as the highest-rated defender in the Championship, according to Whoscored.

But he now looks close to leaving as The Daily Mail has reported that Brighton have offered £20 million, plus £5 million in add ons, for the defender.

Bristol Post journalist Gregor MacGregor has claimed that it is understood that City will accept this offer, suggesting that it could be a record fee in the Championship, but is Webster worth the money?

We put a spotlight on the 24-year-old’s performances in the second tier of English football last season to ponder just that.

In his first season under Robins boss Lee Johnson, Webster started 43 times in the Championship, came off the bench as a substitute once and missed just two games. The Robins success last season was built upon their defensive strength – Johnson’s side conceded the fifth-fewest goals in the league – and their 24-year-old centre-back was at the heart of that.

Webster won 74.4% of his defensive duels last season and averaged 5.75 per game, which could suggest that he read the game well and only committed to challenges he felt he could win.

His other defensive statistics also indicate that he is a player who reads the game well – Webster averaged 3.62 clearances per game and made 302 interceptions last season, the second-most of any player in the Championship and a total that would’ve ranked him third for that category in the Premier League.

The Englishman is also prepared to get stuck in and put his body on the line when his side needs him to, as evidenced by the 26 shots he blocked last season – the 11th most of any player in the Championship.

The 24-year-old also proved an asset and a presence in both boxes for the Robins with his performances in the air. He won an average of 9.38 aerial duels last season, at a success rate of 62.4%, and also scored three headers – goals that earned City seven points in the 2018/19 campaign.

Webster showed under Johnson last season that he is much more than just a solid defender. The Robins coach likes to play expansive, passing football and it appears that the central defender was integral to that. Webster made 2357 passes last season, the 12th most of any player in the Championship, with a brilliant pass accuracy of 80.5%.

Such is his composure on the ball and range of passing, that he was utilised as a central or defensive midfielder four times last season by Johnson. Three of those came in games against promotion rivals, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, and Derby County, during City’s run-in, which exemplifies the English coach’s faith in Webster as a ball-player.

You just have to look at Manchester United’s reported chase of Harry Maguire to see how far top clubs will go now in pursuit of defenders who can bring the ball out from the back and Webster showed last season he is exactly that.

At just 24, the centre-back is unlikely to have reached his peak yet and a step up to the Premier League will likely aid him to develop further, so Brighton are getting an investment and, to me, a solid one at that.

The £20 million, plus add ons, fee which appears to have been settled upon between the two sides is certainly not cheap but Webster appears to tick almost every single box in what a Premier League side will be looking for from a centre-back – so, for me, he is worth it.