Ipswich Town might look back on the agreement that saw Adam Webster move to Bristol City in the summer of 2018 with some remorse. After just one season, he left for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League for a much greater price, where he went on to establish himself as a mainstay in the top division.
Many on the Championship side may be thinking now, after he left Portman Road, if they might have gotten more out of the transaction.
Webster played with Ipswich for a couple of fruitful seasons.
The defender moved from Portsmouth, which was in League Two at the time, to Ipswich before the 2016–17 campaign began, when the team was still in the second division.
According to reports, the transfer also included the departure of Ipswich defender Matt Clarke for a sum of approximately £700,000.
| Webster’s career prior to 2023/24, as per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Brighton | 120 | 7 | 2 |
| Portsmouth | 81 | 5 | 5 |
| Ipswich Town | 53 | 1 | 3 |
| Bristol City | 47 | 3 | 0 |
| Aldershot Town | 24 | 0 | 1 |
Over the next two seasons, Webster made 53 appearances for the Tractor Boys and was consistently in the starting lineup when fit. His impressive performances for Ipswich led Bristol City, a team in the Championship, to agree to a £3.5 million deal for the center defender, with the option for a further £8 million Portman Road. Selling a player for three times the price he was originally purchased for would often be regarded as wise business decisions, especially in light of the possibility that the original purchase price could double if certain conditions are met.
That assertion, however, is somewhat undermined by the agreement that was to be reached less than a year later.
After just one season at Ashton Gate, Webster was traded once more, this time for a club record £20 million to Brighton.
For the Robins, it proved to be a huge source of income, and it undoubtedly made those in the Ipswich backroom wonder if they had made the most out of the sale the year before.
The difference in the fees paid in a short period of time may be partially explained by Webster’s far lower injury concerns in the season prior to his Brighton move than he had during his tenure with the Tractor Boys, but many at Portman Road probably still felt they could have gotten more out of the deal.
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