Joel Veltman voted WAB February 2021 Brighton Player of the Month

March 8, 2021March 8, 2021 WeAreBrighton.com 0 Comments

Take a bow, Joel Veltman – Brighton & Hove Albion’s flying Dutchman recorded the biggest WAB Player of the Month Award victory in quite some time, taking 84.35% of the vote to be crowned the Seagulls’ best performer in February 2021.

When Tariq Lamptey was ruled out in mid-December with hamstring trouble that we now know requires surgery, it could have been a disaster for Brighton.

Up until that point in the season, Lamptey had been the Albion’s star player of 2020-21 to earn the attentions of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid among others. Most teams would struggle losing a player of Lamptey’s ilk.

Not Brighton though. In came Veltman for a seamless transition. The Dutch international played well throughout December and January, a solid-if-unspectacular presence at right wing back who would guarantee you a seven out of 10 performance every week.

In February, Joel Veltman kicked it up a notch to be head and shoulders above any other Brighton player. Not many defenders have pocketed Jack Grealish this season but Veltman managed it, keeping one of the Premier League’s most dangerous attackers silent at one end of the pitch at the same time as providing an attacking threat at the other in the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.

Veltman was the only player to come out of the 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace with any credit. He even opened his Brighton account against the Eagles, sweeping a clinical finish with his weaker left foot past Vicente Guaita.

It seems worth pointing out again that Brighton paid only £900,000 to Ajax in the summer to bring Veltman to the Amex. That must go down as one of the bargains of the season.

Second place behind Joel Veltman in the February 2021 Player of the Month poll was young Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The Spaniard achieved a new club-record in keeping four consecutive top flight clean sheets, although it is fair to say he did not have much to do in the fixture which set the benchmark when the Albion won 1-0 at Liverpool.

Sanchez’s biggest contribution to the month came away at Burnley. Brighton found themselves under a ludicrous amount of pressure from the Clarets and it was almost like the Alamo at times.

For all their possession and shots, Burnley could find no way past Sanchez who pulled off a string of inspired saves. His performance at Turf Moor consolidated his position as one of the best young goalkeepers in England and led to rumours that the Three Lions are set to enter a tug-of-war for Sanchez’s international services with his native Spain.

Rounding off the top three was Lewis Dunk. The Brighton captain’s goal at Burnley and rant at the lack of accountability match officials are subjected to following his free kick at West Brom which Lee Mason disallowed, allowed and disallowed again were the highlights of his month.

Third place in the poll is reflective of a welcome return to form for Dunk since the turn of the year after not quite meeting his ridiculously high standards in the first half of the season.

He also topped last month’s WAB January Power Rankings for his efforts as part of the Brighton back three who helped Sanchez achieve his shutout record.