Brighton have yet to add to their senior squad in the January transfer window, but they have made a good start to the season thanks to their summer signings. The Seagulls currently sit 15th in the Premier League table and three points above the relegation zone. Below I talk about the impact Chris Hughton’s summer signings have made since joining the club.
Pascal Gross:
The first summer signing was that of German number ten, Gross from FC Ingolstadt 04 for a fee believed to be around three million pounds. The German has filled a void that Hughton has been looking to purchase in since he came into the club. He has added a creative spark and has either scored or assisted a good deal of Albion’s goals this season.
Gross already has four goals and five assists to his name and has talked about with the likes of Mohammed Salah as one of the bargains of the seasons. Gross even has the honour of scoring Brighton’s first goal in the Premier League.
Markus Suttner:
Next in was a former teammate of Gross’s, in Austrian full-back, Suttner from FC Ingolstadt 04. The full-back has had to battle for the left-back position with Gaetan Bong but has certainly impressed when he has played especially with his willingness to get forward and overlap the winger.
Matthew Ryan:
Suttner was followed in by a new goalkeeper after the departure of last seasons keeper David Stockdale to Birmingham on a free. Stockdale’s replacement was Australia’s number one keeper Matthew Ryan for a club record five million pounds from Valencia. After a shaky start to life at the Albion in a friendly against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, Ryan has turned out to be one the best keepers Brighton have had.
He is a terrific shot stopper and a keeper who is great at making double saves. Ryan has saved Brighton points in games at home like Everton and Newcastle United to name a couple. This form has not gone unnoticed and it is seen win player of the month for the last two months.
Davy Propper:
Brighton again smashed their transfer record for their next signing with the capture of Propper from PSV for a fee in the region of ten million pounds. Propper has slotted into the Albion midfield well and forged quite the partnership. He has also got two assists to his name. He also made a number of interceptions tackles and clearances and has certainly been worth every penny so far.
Jose Izquierdo:
The transfer record was then smashed a third time with to bring in Colombian winger, Jose Izquierdo from Club Brugge for a fee in the region of £16 million pounds. Izquierdo has certainly added an attacking flair and sheer pace to the Brighton attack. He has already chipped in with two goals and two assists and produced some great performances this season. The one that sticks out is the game against Bournemouth at home on New Year’s day when he grabbed two assists and almost scored a couple of times in a 2-2 draw at The AMEX Stadium.
His pace was evident to see and he can do a lot of exciting things when he is given the ball.
Ezequiel Schelotto:
The Seagulls then purchased another right-back to rotate for Captain Bruno, who at 37 needs a bit of cover due to the demands of the Premier League season. Schelotto has done very well when he has come into the squad. He has a great presence in the air which means he can cut out set pieces and crosses. He also possesses a great deal of pace which means he constantly flying up and down the right wing to attack and defend. He also is an intelligent player and makes some great runs and decisions.
Tim Krul:
Albion’s final piece of transfer business was to bring in Krul on a free after converting his loan deal into a permanent one, after an impressive debut. Krul has not appeared much for The Seagulls since joining with him only making two or three appearances due to the impressive form of Ryan in between the sticks. When he has come in for cup games he has shown he still a great keeper and that if he is needed, he is more than capable to step in and try and claim the number one jersey from Ryan.
One thing is for sure, all Brighton’s investments have been very wise so far and hopefully, they can make a couple more in this window to try and avoid relegation from the Premier League.
