Adingra needs to fulfil potential at Brighton says Ivory Coast boss

It has been a something of a strange 2024-25 campaign for Simon Adingra at Brighton so far. Five goals from 17 appearances makes him the Albion’s joint-second top scorer after Danny Welbeck.

Yet in probably 50 percent of his appearances, Adingra has been largely anonymous. So much so that some Seagulls supporters have called for the club to accept any sort of reasonable offer should one be forthcoming.

Adingra has not been helped by Fabian Hurzeler playing him down the right. Now 18 months into his Brighton career, we can safely say that Adingra is a thousand times more effective playing on the left wing than the right.

Four of his five goals this season have come from the left, alongside his one assist. The difference was clearly seen in December. Adingra was woeful at right wing back at Fulham at the beginning of the month before going onto score a fine goal off the left flank away against Aston Villa at the end of the Month.

The problem Adingra faces is his competition for a left wing starting spot is Kaoru Mitoma. On his day, Mitoma is one of most dangerous attackers in the Premier League.

Adingra is not getting selected ahead of Mitoma. Which means he either plays a bit-part from the bench or is utilised on the opposite wing, where he often struggles.

The only way Adingra is going to become first choice left winger for Brighton is if Mitoma is injured or sold.

Adingra does at least have time on his side. He is only 23, a relatively young age for a wide player. Wingers are notoriously inconsistent for a much longer period at the beginning of their careers than almost any other outfield position.

If Adingra can add consistency to his game and deliver performances like Villa more frequently than his showing at Fulham, he can become a superb player over the next couple of season.

Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae knows the difference Adingra can make down the left better than most thanks to their extraordinary experience together at last year’s African Cup of Nations.

Fae was parachuted into the job when the Elephants took the somewhat unusual decision to sack their manager in the middle of a major international tournament.

He replaced Jean-Louis Gasset after Ivory Coast lost both opening group games of their home tournament, including a record 4-0 home defeat by Equatorial Guinea.

Fae oversaw victory in the final group game, which meant the Elephants scraped through to the knockout stages with the fourth best record of the third placed teams.

From there, Ivory Coast did not look back. They defeated holders Senegal on penalties in the second round and Mali in the quarter finals, coming from behind in extra time with only 10 men.

DR Congo were beaten in the final four before the Elephants came from a goal down to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final.

Adingra also missed the first two games of the competition through injury. His return coincided with the appointment of Fae and he went onto play a pivotal role in the Elephants’ success.

It was Adingra who struck the 90th minute equaliser which took the quarter final against Mali to extra time after coming off the bench.

Named by Fae in the starting XI for the final, Adingra set up both Ivory Coast goals from the left wing. He was subsequently named man-of-the-match in the final and Young Player of the Tournament – becoming King Adingra of AFCON in the process.

But back to domestic issues. With Mitoma ahead of him in the pecking order and rumours of frustration over a lack of game time, Adingra has been linked with a departure from Brighton.

Reports of a reunion with Roberto De Zerbi at Marseille gathered pace in the summer when the Albion were busy acquiring 127 different wingers from across Europe.

Adingra has also attracted the attentions of Arsenal and Spurs as the North London clubs look to bolster their squads in January. It has been suggested £26 million could be enough to tempt the Seagulls to sell.

Fae though has advised Adingra that staying with Brighton is the best way for him to fulfil his potential.

In an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Fae said: “He’s a young player with a lot of talent. I just hope he continues to work hard because, at his age, consistent effort is crucial for improving day by day and year after year.”

“At the moment, he is not a regular starter at Brighton, so he must work hard to earn that position and continue his efforts, particularly as he still has limited international caps.”

“He’s a young international player, so he needs to stay focused and keep working hard to improve, aiming to build a career similar to Didier Drogba’s.”

Fae also spoke about the impact Adingra has made at international level and his impressive second place in African Player of the Year 2024 behind Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman.

“It’s a pleasure for me to have him in my team because he brings a lot of positive qualities. I hope he continues to work hard to reach the top,” said Fae.

“He will be in great form for the upcoming international matches. Being nominated for the African Player of the Year at such a young age is a significant achievement too.”