Dunk and Duffy sign new five year deals
Brighton and Hove Albion’s centre back pairing of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy have both put pen to paper on new five year deals with the club.
The contracts keep the duo at the Amex until the summer of 2023. Perhaps more importantly, they will significantly increase the money that the Albion could expect to receive should Dunk and Duffy maintain their excellent form to attract the attention of bigger fish.
Should Dunk see out his contract, then the deal will take him onto 14 years of service with the club and potentially past the 400 game mark if he manages to stay suspension and injury free.
Dunk has play 238 times for the club, winning promotions from League One as champions in 2010-11 and as a linchpin of Chris Hughton’s side that finished runners up in the Championship two seasons ago.
He made his debut in the penultimate game of the 2009-10 season away at McDons although it was some time before he became a first team regular. His first full season as a first choice didn’t arrive until Sami Hyypia took the reigns for 2014-15.
Before that, he’d found himself behind Gordon Greer, Tommy Elphick, Adam El-Abd and then Matthew Upson in the pecking order. In a sign of how completely shit Brighton were under the hapless Hyypia, Dunk actually finished that 2014-15 campaign as second top scorer on five goals, with only Liverpool loanee Joao Teixeira managing more.
Dunk’s form that year led to interest in the summer of 2015 from Fulham, who lodged a £5m bid. The Albion turned it down but Dunk tried to force through the move, handing in a transfer request. The club rejected that as well and Dunk paid the price, losing his place to new signing Uwe Hunemeier.
The issue was eventually resolved with Dunk signing a five year deal rather than moving to Craven Cottage. He was appointed vice captain in the summer of 2016 following Gordon Greer and Inigo Calderon’s departures from the Albion and can expect to inherit the armband on a permanent basis once the sad day arrives when Bruno leaves the club.
Duffy meanwhile has been a virtual ever present since signing from Blackburn Rovers in August 2016 for £4m. There were plenty of questions asked at the time as to why the Albion were spending what was then a club-record fee on a defender who had scored two own goals and been sent off in three league appearances for Rovers already that season.
The Irish international soon answered those and some, forming a rock solid partnership with Dunk which paved the way for Hughton’s side to go one better than the previous year’s play off heartache.
Duffy has scored some vital goals on the pitch, including in the 3-2 win over Manchester United back in August and most recently in the 2-2 draw away at Southampton.
He’s also provided plenty of entertainment off it. There was an ill-fated relationship with Katie Price, telling a girl to Google who he was after he’d had a one night stand with her and being shown live on television at the Champions League of Darts at the Brighton Centre holding up a sign complimenting Dunk’s mother on being a MILF.
Most excited about the news regarding Duffy’s new deal was Molly Malones. A spokesman for the pub said they delighted at the prospect of another five years of record Guinness sales.
