The WAB Brighton Power Rankings 2022-23 Edition
The third edition of the WAB Season Power Rankings have landed, offering ratings for every player who played more than 10 competitive minutes for Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2022-23 season.
We took all the scores submitted by Albion fans on our post-game player ratings Twitter threads from each of the Seagulls’ 46 matches across Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup and stuck them into an Excel spreadsheet.
A complicated mathematical algorithm was then used to award each player a score out of 100. The result is the definitive ranking system of individual performance as the Seagulls soared to a record-breaking sixth place finish and Europa League football for the first time.
32) Jack Hinchy – 0.52
Made his Brighton debut as a substitute in the 3-0 Carabao Cup second round win at Forest Green Rovers, playing the final 10 minutes.
31) Jack Spong – 0.57
His first Albion start came against Forest Green. It also proved to be his last, the 21-year-old being released at the end of the season after playing five times on loan at Crawley Town.
30) Cam Peupion – 0.61
Plenty to like about the young Australian forward, who marked his senior debut by assisting the third Albion goal at Forest Green scored by Evan Ferguson. A first Premier League appearance came against Newcastle United in May having been named Premier League 2 Player of the Month in April after scoring six times in four matches for the Under 21s.
29) Ed Turns – 0.61
The highly rated 20-year-old did not look out place starting alongside Jan Paul van Hecke and Levi Colwill in that Forest Green game. Ended the season with a League Two winners medal after playing 16 times and scoring twice to help Leyton Orient to the title.
28) Steve Alzate – 0.65
Alzate has become somewhat of a forgotten man. Scored in the win over Forest Green before moving on loan to Standard Liege just prior to the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi. Liege reportedly want to sign Alzate permanently, leaving De Zerbi with a decision to make about whether the Colombian international midfielder has a future at the Amex.
27) Odel Offiah – 1.50
Did you know that his uncle is rugby legend Martin Offiah? A regular on the Premier League bench towards the end of the season, he came on at both Nottingham Forest and Newcastle to suggest De Zerbi is a fan.
26) Andrew Moran – 2.07
The Irish Phil Foden displayed some nice touches on his Premier League debut as a substitute in the 4-1 win at Everton. Do not be surprised to see him setting a lower division alight on loan next season.
25) Yasin Ayari – 5.48
Would have delivered one of the greatest debuts in Brighton history had his audacious bicycle kick against Grimsby Town in the FA Cup gone in. That spectacular moment aside, his biggest contribution came when De Zerbi entrusted him to take over in the crucial holding midfield when Moises Caicedo limped off injured at Plucky Little Bournemouth. Ayari slotted in seamlessly as Brighton saw out a first league win away against the Cherries in 16 years.
24) Jan Paul van Hecke – 8.30
Blackburn Rovers Player of the Season in 2021-22, Van Hecke endured a frustrating 2022-23 campaign spent mostly on the bench. When he did make it onto the pitch, he struggled at Premier League level until facing Manchester City and Erling Haaland of all people. A very assured display against the champions was just what the doctor ordered, although whether he is content to spend another season as fourth choice centre back remains to be seen.
23) Jeremy Sarmiento – 15.57
Another injury interrupted campaign which began and ended with him sidelined. Still managed to make some important contributions, most notably in helping the Albion find a late winner in the Bournemouth home game and with his display as a number 10 in the 4-1 win at Everton. A new five-year contract shows how highly rated Sarmiento is and now he needs to get a run of games under his belt.
22) Enock Mwepu – 15.74
Imagine a player as technically brilliant as The Computer playing in a Roberto De Zerbi side. His forced retirement following the discovery of a hereditary heart condition was by far and away the lowest moment in recent Brighton history.
21) Billy Gilmour – 19.33
Took a long time to get going in a Brighton shirt but we later discovered there had been all kinds of horrific stuff going on off-the-pitch with a crazed woman obsessed with him. Once that was all settled in court, the real Gilmour appeared in the final two months with some excellent performances which helped the Albion over the line.
20) Facundo Buonanotte – 22.42
A January arrival like Ayari who not many Brighton fans would have been expecting to be involved given he was only 18-years-old and leaving South America for the first time. De Zerbi though had no qualms in chucking him into the first team picture within a few weeks. Highlights included a goal away at Forest and gliding past Manchester City players as if they were not there.
19) Adam Lallana – 30.52
De Zerbi’s appointment directly led to Lallana having the best spell of his Brighton career. Three goals, one assist and a massive role in helping the players transition to DeZerbiBall, a style of play Lallana’s supreme technical ability is well suited too. A January injury ruled him out of the second half of the season.
18) Levi Colwill – 30.59
Came into his element after the World Cup. Named the 23rd best player under 21 in Europe in the nominations list for the Golden Boy Award. The man marking job he did following Martin Odegard and then Kevin De Bruyne around was something not many centre backs could pull off. That Brighton are ready to smash their transfer record by paying £40 million for him is telling.
17) Deniz Undav – 30.80
Another whose campaign was a bit of a slow burner before five goals in his final eight appearances. Showed in that time he was a clinical finisher. Hopefully, that form continues into 2023-24 and he puts his summer break to good use by finding a decent kebab shop and somewhere selling a good German sausage.
16) Jason Steele – 32.74
One of the stories of the season, from unwitting star of Sunderland Till I Die and the second-worst keeper in Black Cats history to number one in the sixth best team in England. His passing ability helped Brighton become even better at building from the back and he made some important saves too, racking up the same number of clean sheets managed by Robert Sanchez but from far fewer games.
15) Leandro Trossard – 37.89
Became only the third player in Brighton history to score a top flight hat-trick with his treble at Liverpool, setting him on the way to topping the Albion scoring charts at the midway point in the season. Then effectively went on strike to force through a £27 million January move to Arsenal, trashing his reputation in the process. A real shame as it did not have to end that way.
14) Tariq Lamptey – 38.98
Showed previously unknown versatility by playing at left back as well as right back, including scoring a goal from the opposite flank in the 3-1 Carabao Cup win at Arsenal. This was another campaign ruined by injury though and with those rumours about a move to Sporting Lisbon refusing to go away, it would not be a surprise to see him seek a fresh start elsewhere after a nightmare couple of years.
13) Evan Ferguson – 41.61
Calls for Brighton to sign a new striker have quietened significantly thanks to the emergence of Ferguson. Scored nine goals in all competitions with eight of those coming from Boxing Day onwards. Included in the haul were bullet headers, a back heel, strikes of pure power and a cheeky finish through the legs of England international goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. He looks the complete centre forward.
12) Julio Enciso – 43.85
Inconsistent, lightweight and a questionable decision maker prior to the start of April. The 19-year-old from Paraguay then exploded onto the scene in the final two months. Ended the campaign with two assists and four goals to his name, including spectacular strikes against Chelsea and Manchester City, the latter of which won the Premier League, Match of the Day and WAB Goal of the Season awards.
11) Adam Webster – 46.17
In and out of the side thanks to a succession of niggling injuries and the emergence of Colwill. With his strongest trait being his ability to dribble out of defence, Webster may need to undergo something of a reinvention to play more regularly under De Zerbi in a system where short, sharp passes across the back to draw the opposition press are demanded.
10) Robert Sanchez – 49.17
Some high profile errors including that horrific mistake which gifted Crystal Palace an equaliser at Selhurst Park were followed by De Zerbi deciding that Steele’s superior passing ability were needed in the starting XI. It initially looked like Sanchez had taken his demotion well and he returned with strong showings at Chelsea and in the FA Cup semi final. Being dropped again, however, led to the Spanish goalkeeper throwing his toys out his pram and refusing to be part of the matchday squad.
9) Joel Veltman – 61.30
The dependable Dutchman was his usual self in the 2022-23 season. Did good jobs at right back and when partnering Dunk in the middle during the Spring with Colwill and Webster both ruled out injured at the same time. We still await news on whether he has signed a new contract with his current deal set to expire this summer, or if the club have activated the extra year option.
8) Danny Welbeck – 66.20
It might come as something of a surprise to see Welbeck riding so high in the Power Rankings, mainly because a lot of people still think of him as injury prone. Welbeck though made 37 appearances, missing just nine games across all competitions. He scored six times and registered four assists, whilst his football intelligence and ability to create space for others were ideally suited to fulfilling the striker role in De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1.
7) Pervis Estupinan – 67.28
Estupinan proved to be one of the transfer bargains of the season, costing just £15 million from Villarreal and proving a clear upgrade replacing Marc Cucurella. Eight assists from left back is a frankly ridiculous total. His incredible fitness levels meant he was still charging up and down the wing through that mad finish to the season of 14 games in eight weeks, being the last Brighton outfield player to be rested by De Zerbi and only once there was nothing to play for on the final day at Villa.
6) Kaoru Mitoma – 72.35
Along with drawing the press, inverted wingers are the other calling card of DeZerbiBall. From the moment the manager introduced his 4-2-3-1 formation for the first time in the 4-1 win over Chelsea, Mitoma has taken the Premier League by storm. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is the only right back who has managed to keep the Japanese Bullet Train quiet; he has dribbled effortlessly past everyone else with his unique combination of speed, directness and balance. 10 goals and eight assists represented quite the debut season in England.
5) Solly March – 76.76
No player benefitted more from Graham Potter walking out and De Zerbi coming in than March. Three goals and four assists in 81 appearances under Potter gave way to seven goals and seven assists in 27 matches with De Zerbi at the helm before injury brought his season to an early conclusion. Easily the best campaign of his Brighton career, there was even talk of an England call up.
4) Alexis Mac Allister – 81.00
Made history by becoming the first Albion player to win a World Cup. Mac Allister’s 12 goals saw him finish the season as top scorer as he flitted seamlessly from playing as a number 10 one week to sitting in front of the back four the next. Nobody will ever forget that 99th minute penalty at the Amex to beat Manchester United when he showed nerves of steel and his popularity was shown with universal well-wishes from Brighton fans upon his deserved £55 million move to Liverpool.
3) Lewis Dunk – 81.43
Even Gareth Southgate could not ignore how good Dunk was in 2022-23, ending the Albion captain’s near-five year absence from the England squad at the end of the season. Adapted with ease to the somewhat unique demands De Zerbi places on his centre backs, whether playing on the right alongside Colwill or on the left when Webster, Veltman or Van Hecke are his partner. Passed the 400 Brighton appearances mark in the FA Cup fifth round win at Stoke City in February and you would not put it past him to become only the second man after Tug Wilson to break 500.
2) Pascal Gross – 84.37
Gross was voted WAB Player of the Season but he has to settle for second in the Power Rankings. 10 goals and 10 assits made 2022-23 the most successful in both metrics of Der Kaiser’s Albion career so far. But his campaign goes beyond numbers with De Zerbi using him at right back, left back, as a holding midfielder and a number 10. That versatility led the manager to describe Gross as one of the best players he has ever managed. Gross for his part is now rightly in the conversation as one of the best players Brighton have ever had.
1) Moises Caicedo – 85.78
Before Caicedo made his Premier League debut at Arsenal in April 2022, Brighton had just drawn 0-0 with rock bottom Norwich City at the end of a sequence of six consecutive defeats. They had scored only once in that time. 14 months later and Europa League football is coming to Sussex. When the Albion rejected a January bid from the Gunners, Caicedo could easily have downed tools. Many arrogant Arsenal fans predicted that is what would happen; whilst they won the title, Caicedo would rock the boat and Brighton would fall away from their European challenge. And yet Caicedo went from great in the first half of the campaign to world class from February onwards. He will be worth every penny of the £100 million the Albion apparently want for him this summer. A worthy winner of the WAB Power Rankings 2022-23.
