When the former Internazionale star arrived in the Midlands after being realised by AC Milan, Derby were anchored to the bottom of the Premiership with just six points to their name and the industrial estate that surrounds Pride Park must have looked a different world to the fashion capital he came from.
However, with West taking up his position in the Derby central back-three, the Midlanders have looked a different team and, along with the introduction of defensive coach Colin Todd at around the same time, the Nigerian international has arguably been the catalyst for Derby's move up to 15th position in the table.
And the difference in the Rams' defensive stability has been almost breathtaking. In what is fast becoming known as the 'pre-West' era, County conceded an almighty 28 goals - that's an average of 2.15 a game - whereas 'post-West', Derby have let in just 16 strikes (exactly one per match).
Because of international commitments, the Nigerian missed the games against Manchester United (lost 4-0) and Charlton (lost 2-1), meaning that while West has been playing for Derby, they have conceded just 10 goals and lost on only three occasions.
Part of the reason for this newfound surety at the back has been the African's innate ability to time his challenges. In his 14 Premiership games since joining the Rams, West has come out with the ball in 31 tackles - only 11 fewer than fellow centre-back Horacio Carbonari, who has been at Pride Park all season.
In addition, the experience of West, along with his capability to read the game, has resulted in the ribbon-haired defender settling into the Premiership's frenetic pace with ease, and the statistics back this fact up. Indeed, no one in the Derby line up has made more timely blocks and interceptions in the whole of 2000-01 than West's total of 38 since arriving.
In fact, the sole blot against the name of West has been his spectacular own goal against Tottenham last weekend, which was strictly speaking only his second effort on target as a Ram!
Clearly, Smith is right to value the African legend so highly, and as the Derby manager himself concludes: "When he puts his mind to it, he's one of the best defenders in the world."
