Alexis Mac Allister and the benefits of a three month Premier League break

When Brighton & Hove Albion managed to secure a work permit for Alexis Mac Allister and then paid for his release from Boca Juniors in January to bring him to the Premier League, there were a lot of very excitable Seagulls supporters.

Mac Allister was the man who was going to transform the Albion’s season and take England by storm. The expectation levels on the young Argentinian were through the roof, which seemed like a real recipe for disappointment.

Here was a 21-year-old with no experience of playing outside of Argentina. He was coming to a new country and culture which was miles away from what he is used to in his homeland.

Most successful South American imports to English football arrive via Europe. The likes of Spain and Italy are seen as halfway houses between Argentina, Brazil and their like and the Premier League, the style and intensity of which is not found anywhere else on the planet.

Playing in Europe helps South American players to adapt to a different way of life and a different type of football. Not many players come direct from South America and make an instant impact.

And even playing in Europe it isn’t always enough. Angel Di Maria failed in England and he’d had the benefit of seven years with Benfica and Real Madrid prior to rocking up at Manchester United.

To expect Mac Allister to arrive and walk straight into the Brighton first team would have been asking a lot, let alone be the difference maker between staying up and being relegated.

Graham Potter realised this and before the Premier League season was suspended in March, he used Mac Allister sparingly – much to the disgruntlement of those fans who had heralded the new signing as the Messiah.

Mac Allister didn’t feature for a single minute of the Albion’s four February fixtures. The only time we have seen him in the stripes so far was a 10 minute cameo in the 0-0 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers back on March 7th, the last game that the Albion played.

Potter gave Mac Allister a month to adjust to his new surroundings before using him in competitive action. It was sensible management, allowing Mac Allister to become accustomed to living in a new country and get used to training with his teammates.

Had Potter chucked him in at the deep end and if Brighton continued to slide into the relegation zone and he struggled to adapt to the English game, Mac Allister’s confidence could be shattered forever.

Which is why the Premier League season’s three month break might have brought unintended benefits for Mac Allister. Rather than Potter having to treat him carefully as a young man in a new country, Mac Allister has had a bonus three months in which to become accustomed with England.

In terms of time frames, that makes him more like a summer signing than a January arrival. One of the arguments against Brighton paying Boca Juniors £500,000 to secure the use of their own player was that Mac Allister would be better served seeing out the season in Argentina before moving to England in the summer.

Mac Allister would arrive in May and start pre-season training in June. He wouldn’t kick a ball in a competitive game for the Albion until August, which would provide an adjustment period of a little over three months between relocating to Sussex and his first competitive action.

Thanks to the pause in the Premier League season, Mac Allister has unexpectedly had that adjustment period. With Potter currently putting his players through a mini pre-season and Brighton keen to arrange some friendlies before the return to top flight action against Arsenal on June 20th, Mac Allister is going to be about as prepared as any arrival from Argentina could be.

Had the 2019-20 Premier League season been completed as originally intended, Mac Allister’s impact would probably have been minimal given the challenges he faced. If he were to have a say in Brighton’s fate, it certainly wouldn’t have been until the campaign drew to its conclusion, say the final four or five games.

Instead, Mac Allister now has nine games which he is much more prepared for with the bonus of six months of living in England under his belt, increasing his chances of making an impression.

Expecting Mac Allister to save Brighton’s season still might be a case of chucking him at the deep end, but at least he’s got some swimming bands on now.

We’ve already written about how empty stadiums in the restarted Premier League might benefit Brighton. Mac Allister should in theory be a much more effective option for Potter because of the extended period of time he has been given to adapt to his new surroundings.

Let us hope so, anyway. With two wins from 19 and Arsenal, Leicester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City still to play, Brighton desperately need some inspiration from somewhere. Over to you, Alexis.

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