Jonny Evans: New signings will take time to settle at West Brom
Skipper Jonny Evans reckons Saturday’s miserable defeat at Brighton proves Albion’s new-look team may need time to gel.
The Baggies were comfortably beaten 3-1 by the Premier League new boys as they fell to their first defeat of the season.
It meant a debut to forget for PSG loan star Grzegorz Krychowiak, while left-back Kieran Gibbs made his first appearance for the club as a second-half substitute.
The game was marked Evans’ return in an Albion shirt after injury saw him miss the opening weeks of the campaign.
And he said: “It might take a bit of time. There were a few changes from the last game and new players coming in. It is going to take a little time to find how the gaffer wants to play and set-up, both attacking wide and defensively. It’s been great (the additions). I think the manager wanted a greater strength in depth in the squad. He has got that.
“The players he has brought in are a challenge to the players here already. It’s up to the players already here to step up the game.
“That is what the manager has called for. He has got that and each individual player is going to have to up their game.”
Pascal Gross scored either side of half-time while Tomer Hemed also netted for the hosts, before James Morrison pulled one back for the Baggies late on.
Despite the result, Evans admitted some pleasure in being back in action, following a summer in which his own future was the subject of much speculation.
Albion rejected bids from both Leicester City and Manchester City for the Northern Ireland international, who said: “It doesn’t feel like that all happened now. It is gone.
“Leading up to the game I was just thinking about the game and how I can progress myself and make myself a better player. This week will be getting my head down and preparing for West Ham.
“Even though the result wasn’t great it was nice to go out for the warm-up. Turning up on the bus, there is no better feeling than that, the nerves before the game.”
