After a decent campaign in the English top flight, Brighton & Hove Albion will now look to step up their progress next season. Chris Hughton has done pretty well to keep the club in the Premier League for another season but it is evident that he needs more quality in his first team, to make sure that they can compete with the best next season.
They have already added seven new faces to their squad from the previous season but Hughton does not seem completely happy with the squad at his disposal. He has now broken the club’s transfer record yet again this summer, this time by signing a goal scorer in Alireza Jahanbakhsh for £17m.
Born and brought up in Jirandeh, Iran, he first moved to Europe with Dutch outfit NEC in 2013. He scored five goals in the Eredivisie in his first season at the club but dropped to the second division in his second season. He showed that the Eerste Divisie is a level below him, as he smashed 12 league goals in the 2014-15 campaign.
He did enough for Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar to come calling in 2015. He was pulled back to the Eredivisie that season and Jahanbakhsh showed progress by the year, scoring 14 goals for the club, before the start of the previous season.
Playing on the wing, the 24-year old seemed to have turned a corner last season, as he registered 22 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, also standing as the top goal scorer in the Eredivisie last season. He is versatile, can play on either wing and his performances last season have seen clubs in the Premier League show interest in his services this summer.
It is reported that Leicester City, who lost Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City this summer, see Jahanbakhsh as a replacement for the Algerian international. “His versatility will increase our attacking options within the squad,” said Brighton manager Chris Hughton.
The player cost £17m which was a club record for the Seagulls, but the 24-year old is a technically gifted player, who can walk into the first team and make an immediate impact at the Falmer Stadium.
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At his age, he is a long-term option, who solves an impending problem at Brighton. He may take time to adjust to the English league but he does have the potential to be a match winner and is well worth his price tag. It will not be easy to fend off interest from Leicester City but do you think Brighton can land Jahanbakhsh this summer?
