Scenes of ecstasy can be traced to the American Express Community Stadium as Brighton & Hove Albion have finally managed to carve an automatic promotion spot to the Premier League. The Seagulls have been in an exemplary form throughout the campaign in the Championship and are leading the race to clinch the second division silverware, having collected 92 points from 45 games and have a lead of 1 point over Newcastle United. Brighton deserved to get uplifted and there are no second thoughts for the same.
Under the tutelage of Chris Hughton, they have indeed thrived and are due to face Aston Villa on Sunday at the Villa Park in their last league game, winning which would be an icing on top of the cake. However, they would have to come up stronger when they face the elite clubs in the top flight next season, implying that they would have to dig into the summer transfer window. Hughton must have started to assess his targets and one of the latest reports have stated that Brighton are aiming to lure Arsenal’s Joel Campbell to their ranks in the summer.
Sent on loan to Sporting CP, Campbell has accumulated 18 appearances (most of which have been cameos from the bench) for the Lions in the Premiera Liga, registering 3 goals and 4 assists in the process. The Portuguese outfit have, however, decided that they would not require his services beyond this season. The Costa Rican is seemingly unlikely to get adequate chances at Arsenal owing to the plethora of stars which Arsene Wenger has at his disposal to meet his attacking midfield needs. His contract expires in the summer of 2018, and the Gunners must be looking forward to strike him off their books in the coming transfer window.
Campbell hadn’t flourished at Arsenal and a move to a lesser known club might be the impetus he needs to reclaim his stature. Make no mistake, he would be a promising signing for Brighton, for he is a player with a decent pace, has stupendous work-ethics, reads the game fairly well in the final third and contributes defensively as well. Moreover, he boasts of the versatility of plying his trade as a striker, an attacking midfielder or a left winger, which could really come handy for the Seagulls. The 24-year-old has the potential, and with a pat of confidence from the manager, he can carve wonders if the deal materialises.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored.com
