Alexis Mac Allister granted a British Work Permit for Brighton move

Argentinian playmaker Alexis Mac Allister has been granted a British Work Permit – and he could link up with Brighton for the first time by the end of January.

The Albion paid £7m to Argentinos Juniors for Mac Allister’s services last January and he stayed with his boyhood club for the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign.

Chris Hughton said at the time “It is in the best interests of all three parties (Albion, Mac Allister and Juniors) to allow him to return to Juniors, as he will be able to continue playing regular first-team football in a very competitive league.”

What Hughton actually meant was that Brighton didn’t have a hope in hell of getting him a work permit. That situation remained unchanged at the end of th 2019-20 season and so another loan move to a club in South America was required.

Alexis Mac Allister wasn’t short of options with five of the continent’s biggest clubs – Boca Juniors, Independiente, San Lorenzo, Racing Club and Estudiantes – all said to be interested in loaning him from Brighton.

It was Boca, the 33 times champions of Argentina who won the race. It’s proven to be a good move for all parties as Mac Allister has starred for the one of the most famous clubs in the world, pushing himself into the Argentinian national side in the process with a couple of friendly appearances.

Playing international football offered one potential route for Mac Allister to qualify for a work permit. To do so, he’d need to become a regular starter in competitive games for Argentina; which would only involve overtaking the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria in the pecking order.

Needless to say, that hasn’t happened. The Albion’s other option was to hope for a relaxation in work permit rules after Brexit, something that had been muted by the FA. Clubs could be allowed to import more players from outside the EU in return for an increase in the quota of homegrown individuals in each club’s 25 man Premier League squad.

Despite Bexit day being just two weeks away, a revision of those rules remains someway off. Instead, Brighton have secured Alexis Mac Allister a work permit through what the club are describing as an “An opportunity that arose to put his case in front of The FA’s panel”.

It very much sounds like Mac Allister being given the green light to work in Britain has come about through luck rather than judgement. But with such an obvious lack of creativity in the Brighton setup currently, it’s a stroke of fortune that Potter should very much welcome.

The Brighton boss appears to have lost faith in Pascal Gross over recent months, his lack of pace becoming a growing frustration in the way that it slows attacks down. This despite the fact that Gross still leads the way in chances created and assists claimed for the Albion at this moment in time.

Brighton have looked at their most dangerous when Potter has deployed two number 10s – Gross and Aaron Mooy – in tandem in a 4-2-2-2 formation. Gross’ fall from grace means that he no longer starts alongside Mooy, and so the effectiveness of that system has been blunted somewhat.

Bringing in a young, fresh and quick number 10 like Alexis Mac Allister would allow Brighton to revert back to a proper 4-2-2-2. There will obviously be questions about how Mac Allister adapts to English football – plenty of young players can take up to a year to acclimatise when arriving from South America – but given the relegation battle that the Albion are currently mired in, any new faces who could potentially help the side score more goals must surely be worth a shot.

There is one snag holding up Mac Allister’s potential arrival in Brighton. Boca were rumoured to have paid a loan fee in the region of £2m for his services. In order for the Albion to recall him, a break clause in his contract states that we must refund some of that money. It remains unclear how much exactly or whether Brighton would be willing to pay it.

The Albion may also have doubts about pitching a 21-year-old who’s never set foot on English soil before into the middle of a relegation battle. Will his confidence be shattered if Brighton slip into the Championship within the first six months of his arrival – especially as he is a player we all have very high hopes for?

Potter and Dan Ashworth may decide he’s better off getting more experience under his belt at one of South America’s biggest clubs before arriving in Sussex in the summer, allowing him to get a full pre season in England under his belt.

For us, it’s a no brainer though. Pay Boca the money, and get Alexis Mac Allister in a Brighton shirt. If for nothing else than the fact his brother is genuinely called Kevin and we can spend the rest of the season making Home Alone jokes.