Callum Styles Takes on Leadership Role at West Brom

At 26, Callum Styles is hardly an old pro. At West Bromwich Albion this season, he suddenly feels like one.

A summer of change at The Hawthorns has stripped out a chunk of experience and injected raw energy. Seven new signings arrived aged 23 or under, while a group of senior figures headed for the exit. Three players over 30 departed, joined by Karlan Grant and Kristian Bielik, both 28, and 27-year-old Josh Maja.

The result? Styles, still in his mid-twenties, now finds himself among the elder statesmen of the dressing room.

"I think that's natural [to step into leadership] when you've played a lot of games in the Championship and you're getting older season by season," the left-back told BBC Radio WM.

This isn’t just about age, though. It’s about responsibility. The core of last season’s squad, the ones who know the grind of the division, now carry a different weight.

"Quite a few of us that were here last year feel like it's our role to then get the new lads adjusted to the league, to the team and to the physicality as quickly as possible," Styles said.

The Championship does not wait for anyone. New signings either adapt quickly or get found out. Styles understands that, and he knows the example has to come from those who have been through it before.

"We've got to show that through us working hard ourselves and then obviously helping them off the pitch."

That blend of on-field standards and off-field guidance will shape what this younger West Brom side becomes. Styles is no longer just fighting for his place at left-back; he is helping define the culture of a squad being rebuilt on fresher legs and newer faces.