WAB 2021-22 Season Power Rankings: Ratings for every Brighton player

The second edition of the WAB Season Power Rankings have landed, offering ratings for every player who made a first team appearance for Brighton in the 2021-22 season.

We have taken all the scores submitted by Albion fans on our post-game player ratings Twitter threads from each of the Seagulls’ 44 matches 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 rating system as to who was hot (and who was not) for Brighton in a campaign which ended in a record-breaking ninth place finish.

35) Andrew Moran – 1.47
One of the most highly rated prospects in Irish football, the teenage midfielder played for 22 minutes off the bench in the 2-0 Camila Cabello Cup second round win at Cardiff City. One to keep an eye on for the future.

34) Kjell Scherpen – 1.51
Hard to know what to make of Scherpen the Giant. Made only one appearance after Brighton paid Ajax £4.2 million for his services in the summer and he had little to do as the Albion progressed past West Brom in the FA Cup. Spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Belgian side Oostende. Must have done reasonably well there as he received his first call up to the Dutch squad for June’s Nations League matches.

33) Ed Turns – 1.82
The Swansea City Camila Cabello Cup game gave Albion fans a glimpse into what the club’s centre back future might look like as Turns partnered Haydon Roberts. The Brighton born defender did well enough to finish second in the player ratings that night on what was his only first team appearance of the 2021-22 season.

32) Andi Zeqiri – 1.94
Scored his first Albion goal with a well taken finish at Cardiff before being sent on loan to Bundesliga side Augsburg. Started brightly with two goals and two assists from his first nine games in the Fatherland but it has been steadily downhill ever since, leaving question marks about what he can offer Brighton.

31) Michal Karbownik – 1.94
Gave a decent account of himself against Cardiff. The £4.5 million signing was then packed off to Olympiacos, with the deal apparently including a right-to-buy clause. Not really what was expected from someone who arrived at Brighton already a full Poland international and being described as one of the best young players in Europe.

30) Antef Tsoungui – 2.02
Tsoungui has enjoyed a good 2021-22 season, captaining Brighton Under 23s on occasions and putting the second highest player ratings score on the board in his sole first team appearance away at Cardiff.

29) Odel Offiah – 2.98
Surprisingly chosen to start over Roberts, Turns and Tsoungui against West Brom, he acquitted himself well at the Hawthorns. Not sure if you heard, but he is the nephew of rugby star Martin Offiah.

28) Marc Leonard – 3.45
Graham Potter values versatility above almost any other attribute which bodes well for young Leonard. A natural central midfielder, he did a job at right back against Rangers in pre-season and followed that up by playing out-of-position again in the win over Swansea. What made that evening at the Amex even more impressive was that he was only thrown into the starting XI late in the day after Enock Mwepu picked up an injury in the warm up.

27) Jurgen Locadia – 3.49
Found time in-between putting down beats and being an Instagram influencer to make two Camila Cabello Cup appearances and one 30 minute cameo in the Premier League. The Amex rose as one to salute DJ Jurgen when he came on against The Leeds United (anyone who tells you those cheers were sarcastic is a damn liar) and instantly gave the crowd what they wanted by falling over his own leg when a promising shooting opportunity arose.

26) Evan Ferguson – 4.08
The current golden boy in the Albion academy who is scoring goals for fun. Plenty of fans wanted him parachuted into the first team but Potter sensibly took a slow approach, no doubt with what happened after Aaron Connolly was overpromoted far too early very much in mind. Ferguson showed what he can do with an assist at West Brom followed by a clinical finish ruled out for offside.

25) Haydon Roberts – 5.05
When Spring arrived, Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster were out and Dan Burn had been sold to Newcastle, Roberts might have expected to make his Premier League bow having not been loaned out in January. Instead, he was restricted to three Camila Cabello Cup starts. A season long loan must surely be on the cards for 2022-23 as the next step in his development.

24) Taylor Richards – 5.69
Having scored double figures from midfield for Doncaster Rovers in 2020-21, some were expecting Richards to challenge for a first team squad spot. He did make his Premier League debut in the midst of a selection crisis and looked lively enough. Spent the second half of the campaign at Birmingham City where injuries meant he never really got going.

23) Jason Steele – 6.44
Made his Premier League debut at the age of 31 when Robert Sanchez was suspended for the 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa. Nobody was entirely sure what to expect but he did not put a foot wrong at Villa Park, making three saves without which the Albion would have lost more heavily. His Camila Cabello Cup appearances where classic Steele, mixing important stops with a couple of hairy yet highly entertaining moments of sheer panic.

22) Aaron Connolly – 8.00
Topped the player ratings against Swansea when he scored his only two Brighton goals of the 2021-22 season. Other than that, he managed to get dropped from the matchday squad for the opening day trip to Burnley, be filmed trying to start a fight in Shoosh!, go to a music festival with his Love Island ex when injured for the Brentford away game and ended the season on loan at Middlesbrough. Some Boro fans have since described him as the worst signing their club have ever made. It is impressive in its own way.

21) Jeremy Sarmiento – 10.09
There is a great deal of excitement surrounding Sarmiento based on the fact he did radical things for an Albion player during his brief appearances in 2021-22, like run at opponents with the ball at his feet. Presuming Potter does not coach that out of him, then he has the potential to offer a very different threat to most other players Brighton own.

20) Moises Caicedo – 18.13
Caicedo only made eight Premier League appearances towards the end of the campaign. So good was he in those that he made it onto the shortlist for Player of the Season in our WAB 2021-22 Awards. His elevation to Potter’s starting XI turned a run of seven games without a win into a final flourish of five victories, two draws and one defeat. A star has been born.

19) Steve Alzate – 18.24
Injuries and inconsistency continue to plague Alzate. He is not helped by nobody knowing which position is his strongest, despite him being in the first team squad for three seasons now. His best performances of 2021-22 came as a defensive midfielder when Yves Bissouma was dropped in the Spring, including topping the player ratings in Newcastle 2-1 Brighton. Whether he can hold make that role his own in the long run remains to be seen following the emergence of Caicedo.

18) Dan Burn – 26.37
The best form of Burn’s Brighton career came across December and January, convincing Newcastle to use £13 million of their Saudi blood money to take him to Tyneside. That was a good deal for all concerned, even if the Albion did lose six game in a row for the first time in 16 years in the immediate aftermath of his departure.

17) Shane Duffy – 28.84
King Shane returned to Brighton for the 2021-22 season following that nightmare year at Celtic and instantly looked like a completely different man, dominating the player ratings throughout August and September. Perhaps it was Molly Malone’s closing or the Grosvenor Casino undergoing a rebrand, but something had changed for the Irishman. Sadly, he lost the faith of Potter in the second half of the campaign and a summer departure seems likely as he seeks first team football.

16) Adam Webster – 40.89
It has been a frustrating season for Webster with a series of injuries restricting him to only 16 Premier League starts. One of those spells on the sidelines was particularly badly timed as his form throughout January and February was so good as to have Gareth Southgate considering calling him up for England duty for the March internationals.

15) Enock Mwepu – 32.91
The Computer has struggled at times with the relentless pace and physicality of English football, leading to a succession of niggling injuries. When Brighton have been able to get him on the pitch, he has provided clever assists and worldie goals from midfield. Those strikes at Liverpool and Arsenal and the deft flick to tee up Alexis Mac Allister for the winner against Everton will live long in the memory.

14) Adam Lallana – 37.39
Brighton have coaxed 25 appearance in all competitions from Lallana in 2021-22. His role has varied from being used as a creative number 10 to sitting deeper when Bissouma was absent through September and October to being introduced from the bench in the final 30 minutes to try and assert greater control of possession as the Albion sought to see games out.

13) Danny Welbeck – 40.89
Underwent hamstring surgery in the autumn, since when he has been fit and available most weeks in the second half of the season. Dat Guy chipped in with six goals and three assists and his ability to play as a lone striker in Potter’s weird yet wonderful 3-3-3-1 formation was one of the major factors in the impressive run of results from the final eight games of the campaign.

12) Jakub Moder – 45.40
Football can be a cruel mistress sometimes. Seeing Moder stretchered off having ruptured his ACL in the 0-0 draw with Norwich was one of the saddest moments of the season. He had been enjoying a fine season before that with only one thing missing – that elusive first Premier League goal. Whilst he notched in both the Camila Cabello Cup and FA Cup, he was unable to break his duck in English top flight football. Fingers crossed the monkey is off his back soon after his return.

11) Yves Bissouma – 45.96
Started strongly but his arrest followed by the transfer speculation which intensified when Aston Villa bid £35 million for his services in January impacted on performances. With there appearing more chance of me marrying Taylor Swift than there is of Bissouma signing a new Brighton deal, it seems highly probable that we have seen him in an Albion shirt for the last time. He will depart as one of the most talented players ever to wear the stripes.

10) Tariq Lamptey – 47.29
After 10 months on the sidelines, the Albion have carefully managed the workload of their star right wing back since his September return from injury. He still managed to deliver some electric performances, notably when topping the player ratings for only 30 minutes work after coming off the Brighton bench in the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City. Lamptey’s arrival turned a game the 2021-22 Premier League champions had been utterly dominant in on its head. The sky is the limit for him next year, providing he gets a good pre-season under his belt.

9) Pascal Gross – 48.62
The clamour amongst Brighton supporters for Gross to sign a new contract tells you everything about how important he is to the Albion, despite all the younger midfielders Potter has acquired. Scored two goals and whilst the official statistics record only four assists, his creativity stems far beyond those numbers. His score of 9.73 in the Brighton 4-0 Manchester United player ratings was the highest any Seagull achieved in 2021-22.

8) Solly March – 49.15
Hands up, who is surprised to see March riding as high as eighth in the 2021-22 Power Rankings? It feels like he has spent most of the season playing second fiddle to Marc Cucurella when in actual fact, March has shown his versatility by fulfilling numerous roles away from left wing back and doing a job in each and every one. One of the only players to emerge with any credit from that dismal run through February and March, he must be the most underrated individual in Potter’s squad.

7) Lewis Dunk – 49.79
For the first time since the 2015-16 season when he was dropped for trying to force through a move to Fulham, Brighton had to negotiate a long period of a campaign without their captain. He looked a little ropey on his return from six weeks out but that was to be expected as he has never had such a long time injured in his career. Either side of that absence and he had the sort of campaign we have come to expect. The highlight was that outrageous overhead kick off the line from a Gabriel Jesus effort which earned a standing ovation from even the travelling Manchester City fans.

6) Neal Maupay – 50.91
A season of two halves for the Frenchman. Plundered seven Premier League goals before Christmas before only managing to add one more in the second half of the campaign. Three of those were last minute equalisers away at Crystal Palace, West Ham and Southampton which are unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon. Despite his struggles from January onwards, he still finished as top scorer, although the arrival of Deniz Undav will leave a question mark hanging over his future as he enters the final year of his contract.

5) Leandro Trossard – 55.59
2021-22 was Trossard’s best season as an Albion player, returning eight goals and three assists. Scored two last minute winners in 2021-22 to top the player ratings for Brighton victories at Brentford and Spurs. Some fans gripe about a lack of consistency and whilst he did disappear at points – most noticeably during the six game losing streak – if he was at his unplayable best every week then he would be representing one of the biggest clubs in the world rather than the Albion.

4) Alexis Mac Allister – 55.86
Spent the first half of the campaign in and out of the starting XI. Potter handed him an opportunity in the Boxing Day game against Brentford and after helping the Albion end their club-record 11 game top flight winless streak, he has become pretty much undroppable. Scorer of five goals, including being the only Brighton player to notch a brace in the 2021-22 season with his double in the historic 3-2 win at Everton.

3) Robert Sanchez – 57.85
After barely putting a foot wrong when becoming Brighton number one for the second half of last season, 2021-22 proved a little more challenging for one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe. Mixed some astonishing saves with occurrences of questionable decision making. If he learns from the latter – such as getting sent off against Newcastle and nearly decapitating Liverpool’s Luis Diaz – then he will be a better goalkeeper for it. And despite those criticisms, he still sits third in the Power Rankings.

2) Joel Veltman – 58.36
It is hard to think of a more dependable player in Brighton history. Whether Veltman plays in a back four, as a right sided defender in a three, at right back or as a right wing back, he never puts a foot wrong. Sometimes that consistency goes under the radar but when it comes to a ranking system based on 44 sets of player ratings from across the entire 2021-22 season, it sees the Flying Dutchman finish second.

1) Marc Cucurella – 63.82
Winner of every single Brighton 2021-22 Player of the Season Award going and rightly so. Cucurella now adds first place in the WAB Power Rankings to his CV by a huge margin of more than five points and with a bigger score than Bissouma achieved when topping the table last season. And just to make all that even more impressive, he has done it despite not signing for the Albion until the season was four games old. Cucurella has proven his worth at both ends of the pitch, both a swashbuckling wing back and then being converted into a very capable central defender. It is no surprise that Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City to pay whatever it takes to sign him; all we as Brighton fans can do is hope we get to see him in the stripes next season as this is a bloke destined for the top.