Brighton & Hove Albion were so near yet so far from handing themselves an uplift last season as they withered just when it was most required. However, the Seagulls have picked themselves up pretty well after the fall and are in contention to clinch the Sky Bet 2016-17 Championship, which would obviously also be their ticket to the Premier League.
Chris Hughton’s side are sitting in the top two places and the January transfer window was never going to be a huge one for them, as, during this time, group cohesiveness matters more than anything else for a performing bunch. Nonetheless, they have done their bit to add more strength to their squad and here is how we rate their January transfer window signings.
Glenn Murray (8/10)
Murray was brought into the Sussex-based club in the summer transfer window from Bournemouth on loan after he was handed merely 6 starts in the Cherries’ first top-flight campaign in the 2015-16 season, apart from 13 appearances from the bench. However, he redeemed his former self ever since his move to the Falmer Stadium as he has taken the Championship by storm in his first six months at the club.
The 33-year-old has already garnered 23 appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion, finding the back of the net for as many as 13 times with a scintillating shot accuracy of 55%.
Moreover, he has also bagged a couple of assists and Hughton was very clear from the onset that he has to make his move a permanent one, considering that his side is seemingly likely to be going to the Premier League next season. Now that a senior pro is tied up with the club for more than a couple of years or so to come, Brighton have boosted the morale inside their roster with this deal.
Chuba Akpom (6/10)
Arsenal’s highly-rated academy star has failed to fire at North London with the plethora of stars available in the attacking arsenal of the Gunners. Akpom played a key role last time around with Hull City to win them promotion back to the top tier and Hughton wants exactly the same from the promising starlet yet again.
The striker from North London does have the quality, and now that he is in his fifth loan spell, it is high time that he delivers.
Fikayo Tomori (4/10)
Another youngster on loan from London is Chelsea’s Tomori. The 19-year-old definitely is a precautionary measure to have the quantity to cater to the defensive needs of the side more than anything else.
