Confirmed: Anthony Knockaert joins Fulham
After much speculation over the last week or so, the news has finally been confirmed that Anthony Knockaert has left the Albion for Fulham on loan until the end of the season.
The temporary switch to Craven Cottage will then become permanent next summer for a fee of £10m. Fulham are said to be paying a loan fee of £4m for Knockaert’s services this season, making the total deal worth £14m to the Albion.
That makes Knockaert the clubs biggest ever sale, eclipsing the £8m that Leicester City paid for Leonardo Ulloa in 2014. Ulloa was famously replaced by Chris O’Grady as Brighton went from play off contenders to relegation fodder in the space of a year, so fingers crossed Knockaert’s departure doesn’t have the same effect.
Graham Potter told the official club site that “The move is a good one for the club and Anthony. The wide positions are areas in which we have a lot of competition within the squad.”
Reading between the lines, that means that Potter rates Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jurgen Locadia ahead of Knockaert in the pecking order for the wide berths in his 4-2-3-1 formation.
That seems a risky decision given that they have contributed a measly three Premier League goals and one assist between them.
Knockaert didn’t take to the Premier League as well as many of us hoped he would, not helped by several disciplinary issues. But he has still looked a far better option than those two have in our two top flight seasons so far.
There’s no doubting his quality at Championship level, which makes this deal an absolute steal from a Fulham point of view. With promotion to the Premier League worth so much money these days, Scott Parker has paid peanuts for a bloke who was genuinely unplayable in the second tier three seasons ago.
If Knockaert is half as good back at that level as he was for the Albion in 2016-17, then Fulham have themselves a man who can deliver promotion almost on his own.
15 goals from the right wing and eight assists was a stunning return. There was his brace away at Wolverhampton Wanderers which all but guaranteed promotion for Chis Hughton’s men on Good Friday; brilliant performances in both games against Sheffield Wednesday; a dominant showing when the Albion swept aside Norwich City 5-0 and an emotional Christmas goal dedicated to his father in the home mauling of Queens Park Rangers.
Knockaert finishes his Seagulls career with 27 goals in 159 games for the club. It was his final one which is easily the most memorable, a stunning 25 yard effort bent straight into the stanchion of the Crystal Palace goal, delivering Brighton’s first win at Selhurst Park for 14 years.
By the end of his time at the Amex, Knockaert might not have been everyone’s cup of tea. He could be petulant, individualistic and extremely frustrating to watch. Because of that, some supporters won’t be too disappointed to see him go.
But nobody can deny the impact he has had during his three-and-a-half years on the south coast. Knockaert will go down as one of the greatest Brighton players of all time and one of the most popular.
It’s a sad day to see him depart. Thanks for the memories.
