West Brom's Ajayi Reveals EPL Clubs Cherry-pick Championship Players; Idolises Real Madrid Captain

Nigeria international Semi Ajayi has admitted that he's having his best season as a professional, with West Brom occupying one of the two automatic promotion places before the EFL Championship was halted.

Predominantly a central defender but comfortable as a holding midfielder, only four Baggies players - Hal Robson-Kanu, Charlie Austin, Matt Phillips and Matheus Pereira - have scored more league goals that the Super Eagles star, who has tallied five, this term.

"This season has been one of the best in my career so far, we started the season really well," Ajayi said in an Instagram Live chat with the Super Eagles Media Team monitored by allnigeriasoccer.com.

"A purple patch around October, November when we won six games in a row and then since then we have not looked back, we have been in the top two probably since September and not come out of it so we have been very, very consistent.

"I have good teammates around me, the manager has been great with me as well and it has really helped myself and everyone flourish."

Ajayi is one of the few players representing a second-tier club considered by manager Gernot Rohr for a Super Eagles call-up.

The former Arsenal man reckons that the Championship has a high standard, and to buttress his point he revealed that Premier League clubs keep signing the outstanding players in the division to bolster their ranks.

"It's a tough league, anyone can beat anyone if you are not on it, there's no easy game in the Championship.

"We play games quickly as well, most weeks we play on Saturday and on a Tuesday, so the turnaround between games is very quick, you need to be robust, you need to be fit because if you drop your guard for one second you get punished.

"Premier League teams that's where they get their players from, they watch the Championship and they cherry-pick the players that they think can improve their team, so that goes to show how much quality there is in this league."

A central defender with excellent aerial abilities, Ajayi has cited Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos as the player he looks up to.

"Sergio Ramos is a center back that I rate highly because he can defend, he is strong, he's aggressive and he scores goals, and he's got leadership as well. What more do you want from a center back?

"No (I won't get red cards), I am very disciplined."

This season, Ajayi has been yellow carded five times in Championship and took the walk of shame as West Brom beat West Ham 1-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup back in January.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel