Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion have broken their transfer record for the third time in the ongoing summer transfer window as they have lured Jose Izquierdo from Club Brugge for a fee which is believed to be £13.5million. The deal was agreed last week and there were issues relating to work permit, which has been solved now.
The Seagulls carved a promotion to the English top flight after finishing runners-up in the 2016-17 season of the Championship and impliedly earned an automatic promotion spot. Under the stewardship of Chris Hughton, Albion are looking all set to ensure that they refrain themselves from falling into the clutches of the relegation zone at the end of the season.
Hughton has signed notable names, with the likes of Davy Propper, Mathew Ryan and Markus Suttner to name a few and their latest acquisition in the shape of Izquierdo has indeed lifted the quality of their arsenal to a significant extent. The 25-year-old is one of the hottest properties in Europe and roping him in makes perfect sense.
After plying his trade for Deportivo Pereira and Once Caldas, Izquierdo made a solid impact after pencilling scintillating outputs every week, more often than not, with Club Brugge. Last season, the Colombian banged 16 goals and also registered 3 assists in 34 games and no wonder why his stocks have seen a considerable rise of late.
Predominantly a left-winger by trade, Izquierdo is capable enough to produce riveting outputs from a wide array of slots such as the right-wing, central attacking midfield as well as a secondary striker. He has raw pace in his legs and what appeals the most is the manner he cuts inside and tests the opposition’s goalkeeper with his ferocious strikes.
Over the course of his career, he has shown tremendous amount of intelligence and technical edge in making sensational runs down the left with the intent of scoring goals himself or creating chances for his teammates. Despite not being a tall player, he puts his low centre of gravity to good use to bail himself out of tight circumstances.
Hughton did have adequate men to be stationed on the wing but with someone like Izquierdo brought to the Amex Stadium, the excitement from the wide areas would be humungous. The winger has proved his calibre in the Belgian top division and it was about time for him to make a switch to the Premier League.
Will he be a success? Only time will tell.
