Brighton FPL Gameweek 24: Rutter surely starts after Everton loss
A disappointing afternoon at the Amex saw the Albion beaten 1-0 by struggling Everton. Brighton managed just one shot on target in 105 minutes and as such, FPL managers should expect Fabian Hurzeler to shake up his forward line – hopefully with Georginio Rutter returning to the starting XI.
The only goal in the game against the Toffees came from an Everton penalty. Iliman Ndiaye (£5.4 million) converted to give David Moyes back-to-back Premier League wins following his return to the dugout in place of Sean Dyche.
Brighton meanwhile were denied three consecutive league wins of their own for the first time since promotion to the top flight in 2017.
The Albion had 16 shots but as already mentioned, just one was on target. It came in the second half with Rutter on the pitch having replaced the ineffective Brajan Gruda.
Taking all this into account, here are a couple of interesting Brighton players to consider ahead of Gameweek 24 and a trip to Nottingham Forest.
Georginio Rutter (£5.1 million)
Despite only coming on at the interval, Rutter managed more touches inside the Everton box (seven) than any other Seagull.
He also had a very promising moment when bringing down a Lewis Dunk (£4.3 million) long ball and taking a left-footed shot.
It was only just slightly off target and certainly a lot closer than many of Rutter’s teammates managed.
Rutter finds himself leading Brighton players in FPL for attempts (40) and minutes per chance (30.3) over the campaign so far.
That is pretty impressive given the summer signing from Leeds has not started any of the last six Premier League matches, being limited to cameos from the bench in each.
Goals against Ipswich Town and Manchester United as a substitute may bizarrely not have helped his cause.
Fabian Hurzeler has subsequently taken to using Rutter as a super sub, although the 22-year-old did also notch twice when in the starting XI for the FA Cup win at Norwich City.
But having seen Brighton be so limp going forward against Everton, Rutter must be in contention to start in FPL Gameweek 24.
If he does, Rutter will be looking to expand on four goals and four assists so far. One of those goals came back in September against Chelsea, who the Albion take on in Gameweek 25 at the Amex.
Joao Pedro (£5.6 million)
With no open play goals through 11 consecutive Premier League starts, Joao Pedro has been sold over 700,000 times by FPL managers in recent weeks.
That number will only increase ahead of the trip to Forest after Pedro blanked again against the Toffees.
Selling Pedro is an understandable decision. But look underneath the hood and there are still some promising numbers which might encourage 1.68 million FPL managers to stick with the Brazilian.
Pedro is joint-second amongst Brighton players for shots on target (13). Six of those have come in his last six outings.
On Saturday, he joined Carlos Baleba (£5.0 million) on three attempts against Everton. One of those came from outside the six yard box but several bodies prevented it reaching goal.
The other thing to consider before selling Pedro is that owning a penalty taker can pay off at any time.
Pedro has a phenomenal record from the spot. He has missed just once since joining the Albion in 2023 and even then he put away the rebound.
Both Pedro and Rutter can be well placed to take advantage if Forest remain shellshocked from their 5-0 hammering at Bournemouth.
Captaincy
Already a nailed-on captain by most deadlines, a Double Gameweek for Liverpool will surely place the majority of armbands on Mohamed Salah (£13.7 million).
The rearranged Merseyside derby from December ensures both Arne Slot’s Reds and Everton play on two occasions.
Furthermore, it will be a very popular week for chips. Triple Captain has appeal, seeing as the Egyptian has twice the amount of time to score and assist. Some will instead activate Assistant Manager on its first possible week of usage.
Alternative names to consider for the armband are Alexander Isak (£9.5 million) and Cole Palmer (£11.3 million).
Newcastle United are at home to Fulham whilst Chelsea welcome Graham Potter back to Stamford Bridge in a London derby against West Ham United.
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