Brentford defender Chris Mepham said he models his game on Manchester City and England star John Stones.
Mepham has earned a series of rave reviews for his performances for both the Bees and Wales.
Rejected by Chelsea and QPR as a teenager, the Hammersmith-born centre-back has come to the attention of Premier League clubs.
Bournemouth had a £10m bid for him rejected by Brentford and other clubs are closely monitoring him.
His elegant style has been him compared with Stones – and Mepham admits the former Everton player is someone he has tried to emulate.
“I look at John Stones’ clips as our analyst at Brentford gets them uploaded to a website we have access to,” Mepham told West London Sport.
“I want to aspire to be like him as he has a similar build to me. I would like to think I base myself on being confident on the ball and composed.”