5 potential recruits for the Seagulls in the January transfer window
Brighton’s painful run of 11 Premier League games without a victory has been a challenging time for Seagulls boss Graham Potter.
He described this period as “not ideal” and acknowledged that his team “haven’t quite been good enough” after a red-hot start to the 2021/22 campaign.
Without that stunning start to the season, Albion could find themselves entrenched in the relegation zone, battling for safety with the likes of Newcastle and Norwich.
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Potter admits that the Premier League “can challenge you” at the best of times. Albion cannot afford to rest on their laurels and must look to improve their squad in the upcoming January transfer window.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out the Seagulls’ biggest problem. 14 goals in their first 16 league games indicates a distinct lack of firepower or form in the final third.
It’s that kind of data that football fans need when preparing their weekend accumulators in the Premier League. Accas offer a much larger return than a single bet, but the probability of winning is that much smaller.
With 14 goals scored and 17 conceded in 16 games, Albion would not be worth an inclusion in a ‘Both Teams to Score’ acca right now.
With such a lengthy period of inconsistency, it’s no surprise that Potter and his recruitment department are likely to dip into the transfer market when the January window opens.
Front line additions look like being the order of the day and here are five players that have been most heavily linked to the Amex Stadium in recent weeks.
Eddie Nketiah
Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is said to be a wanted man. The 22-year-old is out of contract next summer and having featured only 41 times in the last four years, the Lewisham-born academy product could be set to depart the Gunners in search of regular first team football.
Earlier this month, Nketiah fired a timely reminder of his capabilities by scoring his first hat-trick in senior football. He scored three times in a comfortable 5-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over League One Sunderland.
Nketiah is a forward that’s long been revered for his speed and movement on the shoulder of the last defender. His playing style has often been compared to Jermain Defoe’s, given his diminutive appearance but brave attributes.
A loan spell to Leeds in the 2019-20 Championship season did little to enhance him. Meanwhile being forced to feed off scraps in the Carabao Cup will not improve his long-term development at Arsenal either. He may be available for a cut-price fee in January.
Ben Brereton Diaz
It has been a meteoric rise to stardom for Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz. The 22-year-old, born in Stoke-on-Trent, is now a fully capped Chilean international.
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It’s not quite as bizarre as it seems given that his he qualifies for Chilean nationality through his mother. Rovers forked out big money in Championship terms to take him to Ewood Park, with reports suggesting the undisclosed fee paid to Nottingham Forest was around £7 million.
The 2021-22 Championship campaign has been a real breakthrough year for him, with his spell in the Chilean national team seemingly giving him added confidence in front of goal. 17 goals in his first 22 appearances of the season have made him red-hot property.
Brighton are said to be prepared to pay upwards of £20 million to secure Ben Brereton Diaz in January. At 6ft 1”, he would provide a good physical presence for Albion and a solid turn of pace.
Mohamed Bayo
23-year-old Guinean international forward Mohamed Bayo is hot property in the English Premier League. Brighton are one of several top flight teams to have shown an interest in Bayo’s services, with Brentford, West Ham and Southampton also said to have touched base with Bayo’s representatives.
Brighton have shown a willingness to recruit from the French leagues in recent years. Yves Bissouma is a prime example, with the Malian becoming an integral figure in the heart of the Albion midfield after a two-year stint with Lille.
Bayo has been in prolific form consistently over recent seasons. He first shot to stardom in the Clermont Foot reserves, before bagging 12 goals in 24 starts on loan at National Ligue side Dunkerque.
22 goals in 38 Ligue 2 appearances for Clermont’s first team followed to fire them to promotion in 2020-21. Bayo’s hit the ground running in Ligue 1 too with six goals in 11 appearances so far this term.
Kacper Kozlowski
With that trio of forwards likely to offer goalscoring solutions, Potter will also be looking to the future with some of his recruits too.
The Seagulls have been strongly linked with a move for imposing Polish midfielder Kacper Kozlowski. The 6ft 18-year-old already has six senior appearances in the Poland national team to his name and has been playing for Ekstraklasa outfit Pogon Szczecin since 2020.
Kozlowski became the youngest ever player to feature in a European Championship when representing Poland against Spain at Euro 2020 this summer.
Kozlowski’s versatility is a major benefit to Brighton, with his ability to play in holding and attack-minded midfield roles.
The likes of Manchester City and Liverpool are said to be sniffing around too, but the chance of more regular Premier League action on the Sussex coast could tip the scales in Albion’s favour.
Ryan Sessegnon
Brighton are one of a handful of top-flight clubs said to be showing an interest in loaning Ryan Sessegnon from Tottenham. The former Fulham starlet, who shot to stardom during his time at Craven Cottage, has found the going somewhat tougher in North London.
Sessegnon faded into the fringes of the Spurs first team squad under former boss Jose Mourinho and has had minimal game time under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
The versatile left-sided forward can play anywhere on that side of the pitch, providing much-needed competition for the likes of Spaniard Marc Cucurella. Cucurella is currently the only fit left back in the Seagulls squad, so would provide good depth in defensive and forward-thinking areas.
One thing is for certain – Brighton are likely to be active in the coming transfer window. Despite lighting the blue touch paper in the early part of the season, Albion still need to strengthen and ensure they are nowhere near the relegation dogfight in the latter stages of the campaign.
