Brighton And Hove Albion defied all odds by staying up in the Premier League and they will look to continue their rise in English football even in the upcoming season. It will be important for Chris Hughton to keep hold of his core group of players as they have got a good understanding between them. The Seagulls have done just that by signing winger Solly March to a new long-term contract at the Amex Stadium.
He was a regular part of Hughton’s side as they finished 15th last season. He made 40 appearances in all competitions and managed a return of 1 goal and 3 assists. The numbers might not be outstanding but the shift the 24-year-old usually puts in down the left was a very important element in Brighton’s survival run.
The Seagulls have often played most of their games without too much of a possession so March has had to put in a good defensive shift almost every game. The 24-year-old didn’t disappoint his manager as his work rate was impressive throughout the campaign.
Incidentally, on the day of the signing of the new contract, it was March’s 24th birthday and he committed his future with Brighton up until 2022. He joined the Seagulls in 2011 from non-league side Lewes and has since gone on to establish himself as a first team regular.
Chris Hughton seemed delighted that March signed a new long-term deal. He said,” I am delighted for Solly, as he’s worked extremely hard to get to this level and thoroughly deserves his new deal. He’s proved an important member of the squad in recent seasons, and despite being relatively young, Solly has collected a good amount of experience this early in his career.”
The real challenge for Brighton will be to stay up again in the Premier League and March also acknowledged that fact and said,” I think it’s going to be harder to stay up this season. But we know what the teams will be like and also the atmospheres as well. We’re used to all the cameras and everything else that comes with it, so a small bit of pressure is taken off.”
The manager will hope that March will be able to contribute more on the attacking front, however, for that to happen, all the team needs to start moving higher up the pitch collectively as we often see the Seagulls sit back deep. Brighton have made as many as seven new signings so it will be interesting to see how Hughton will get them to play in a more attacking system.
