Brighton Player Ratings May 2024
The curtain came down on the 2023-24 season and the Roberto De Zerbi Era in May 2024 and it was somewhat ironically a Graham Potter stalwart who topped the final Brighton player ratings of the campaign.
Levi Colwill, Jan Paul van Hecke and Igor Julio have all usurped Adam Webster in the centre back pecking order at various points under De Zerbi.
Yet it was Webster who came on strong to send a message to whoever the next Brighton head coach might be that he can still play a role for the Albion in 2024-25.
Brighton picked up four points from four matches through May, a big improvement on the dire form of the previous two months in which wins and goals were hard to come by.
Aston Villa were beaten 1-0 at the Amex. There was a decent 1-1 draw away against a Newcastle United side averaging three goals per game at St James’ Park since January.
And the Albion then gave two promising performances in defeats against the billion pound squads of Chelsea and Manchester United.
All of which means a much improved set of May 2024 Brighton Player Ratings, with 13 scores above a six compared to recent months where anything in the fives was considered the norm.
Adam Webster – 7.14
A frustrating season in terms of injuries and struggles for form ended in a blaze of glory for Webster. Four strong performances – including marking Ollie Watkins out of the game in the win over Villa – were almost reminiscent of when he was in England contention two seasons ago.
Joao Pedro – 6.98
No surprise that Pedro’s return to fitness saw Brighton do radical things like score goals in the final month of the campaign. Provided the winning penalty against Villa, set up Danny Welbeck for the consolation goal in defeat to Chelsea and caused United all kinds of problems in a hard working performance on the final day of the campaign.
Bart Verbruggen – 6.87
One of the few good things about De Zerbi leaving the Albion is we will hopefully never have to see goalkeeper rotation again. Third place in the Brighton May Player Ratings for Verbruggen to go with him topping the list in April and March underlines the Dutchman should be undisputed number one next season
Simon Adingra – 6.79
Having looked tired in recent months, Adingra appeared to find a new lease of life through May. He was at the heart of everything good Brighton did in their win over Villa, causing numerous problems in a really positive performance down the left flank.
Julio Enciso – 6.79
You never quite know what you are going to get with young Enciso. May was a month of more good than bad, including a man-of-the-match showing at Newcastle in which he was the heart of everything good the Albion did going forward.
Danny Welbeck – 6.70
Welbz is Dat Guy. Assist against Newcastle, a neat close range finish past Chelsea and a new two-year contract signed represented a very good month. The experience and leadership he brings to a young squad is so important.
Lewis Dunk – 6.65
Two fine games versus Villa and Newcastle were followed by Dunk going off injured at half time against Chelsea. Thankfully, the problem was not severe enough to keep him out of Gareth Southgate’s initial England squad for Euro 2024.
Igor Julio – 6.43
Igor! Igor! Igor! Went from looking like he had never played football before in his life during the 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth last month to putting in a series of far more solid performances.
Valentin Barco – 6.31
Barco only played for 135 minutes yet did enough to ride high in the Player Ratings and be voted WAB May 2024 Brighton Player of the Month. Gave Chelsea and United plenty to think about with two positive showings down the left flank.
Pascal Gross – 6.30
Something of a quiet end to the season compared with the high standards Der Kaiser sets. Nobody could blame him for looking tired, however. 46 appearances all in the midfield engine room was bound to catch up with him at some point.
Billy Gilmour – 6.26
Good in the Villa and Newcastle matches, he was overrun when former club Chelsea came to the Amex before being dropped for the visit of United.
Facundo Buonanotte – 6.14
A month which summed up his season really. Promising in places, struggled to have much impact in others. De Zerbi’s replacement could do with working out where Buonanotte’s best position is because 18 months into his Brighton career and nobody seems to know.
Joel Veltman – 6.02
Popped up with what he described as his annual goal to open the scoring against Newcastle. Was dealing well with the threat posed by Anthony Gordon until hobbling off injured on 40 minutes. That was the end of Veltman’s campaign and needless to say, Gordon was involved in levelling the game before half time.
Carlos Baleba – 5.95
A powerhouse performance against United made him the best midfielder on the pitch despite the presence of Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and the rest. Has the potential to be a hugely important player for Brighton next season.
Tariq Lamptey – 5.76
Thrown in at the deep end when Veltman went off at Newcastle, being introduced on his return from injury far earlier than would have been planned and having to deal with Gordon. Was then perhaps somewhat fortunate to escape a red card against Chelsea after an off-the-ball clash with Mykhailo Mudryk.
Jakub Moder – 5.22
Did not do much in May until De Zerbi offered Brighton one final parting gift by playing Moder at right back in the United game. He was excellent in this unfamiliar role, suggesting a positional change is something which should be given serious consideration.
Benicio Baker-Boaitey – 4.39
His longest Premier League runout to date came at Newcastle. He always wanted the ball and had a willingness to run at opponents.
Adam Lallana – 4.39
55 minutes wearing the captain’s armband against United brought the curtain down on his four seasons with Brighton. A standing ovation from the Amex told how highly he is regarded by Albion supporters and left Lallana visibly moved as he departed the field.
Ansu Fati – 4.31
A loan which showed glimpses of promise through its first three months was killed by a November injury. Fati has offered next-to-nothing since and will return to Barcelona with his future even more uncertain than when he left last August.
Odel Offiah – 4.18
Nephew of rugby legend Martin was a surprise introduction against Chelsea. Seemed to enjoy himself with his entry into proceedings coinciding with the Albion’s strong finish.
Jason Steele – 4.18
Having been chucked in for his only April appearance against Manchester City, Steele made his only May appearance against United. Should have done better with the second goal but there were some good moments with his feet.
The May 2024 Brighton Player Ratings have been formulated through our matchday player scores. To play your part, make sure to follow us on Twitter and leave your post game player ratings in the relevant thread.
