Davy Propper was too good to sit on the bench at Brighton
Handsome Davy Propper is a big favourite at WAB Towers and judging by the well wishes that the Dutch midfielder has received from Brighton fans on his return to PSV Eindhoven, we are not the only ones.
Propper moves back to PSV four years after the Albion paid £9 million to bring him to England. The deal is not actually worth anything up front for Brighton according to reports in the Netherlands, although the Albion could receive up to £2 million in bonuses over the next two years.
In his time at the Amex, Propper made 121 appearances in all competitions. He became an integral part of Chris Hughton’s side which survived those first two campaigns in the top flight and was a regular under Graham Potter in 2019-20.
Injuries restricted his involvement throughout the first half of the 2020-21 season. From Christmas onwards though he was available pretty much every week, being an unused substitute in 10 of the final 15 matches.
He received 14 minutes of playing time over that period from the bench, coming in the 2-1 win at Southampton and the 3-0 victory over Newcastle before being dropped from the matchday squad completely for the last three games of the campaign.
For some reason, Potter just didn’t want to use Propper. That cost Propper his place in the Dutch squad for Euro 2020 (in 2021). And whilst it is the opinion of the Brighton manager that counts over anyone else, most Albion fans are in agreement that Propper was far too good to be watching from the stands at the Amex.
So, what then did we love about Davy Propper other than his wonderful hair and the ravishing good looks that made him the most handsome man in the Brighton squad?
Technically, he is one of the best midfielders that Brighton have ever had. No lesser judge than Marco van Basten said in a November 2019 interview that Propper was on a par with Frenkie de Jong, the Dutch wonder kid who cost Barcelona a meagre £75 million four months earlier.
Propper could make passes that other players could only dream of. When the Albion lost 2-1 at Manchester United in January 2019, the consolation goal came from an utterly outrageous lofted ball into the box from the outside of Propper’s boot straight onto the chest of Pascal Gross.
He had that very Dutch trait of mixing a high skill level with being a bit of a bastard. That is why Davy Propper is responsible for the best Brighton GIF on the internet, when he throws one opposition player to the ground and then produces a wild lunge to hack down another in the space of 10 seconds. It is the sort of thing you can watch on repeat 20 to 30 times and still marvel at.
There was always something quite silky about the way he controlled a ball or moved it on. Propper produced outrageous bits of skill too. Another GIF he stars in seems him do some weird stepover double drag back move that not only keeps a ball in play against the odds, but takes him away from an opponent and off into space down the line.
Propper was versatile, capable of doing several roles in the middle of the park. Under Hughton, he did an excellent job sitting in alongside Dale Stephens. Given that Propper had been used by the Netherlands as a number 10, many Albion fans felt that Hughton’s tactics actually stifled him.
A decent scoring record during his time at PSV and Vitesse Arnhem backed that theory up. Propper had registered 43 goals and 38 assists in the Eredivisie but he never managed to replicate those numbers with Brighton, scoring only two times in his four seasons at the Amex.
The arrival of an attack-minded manager like Potter was meant to release the shackles from Propper. Potter though continued to use him for more defensive duties, relying instead on Aaron Mooy and Pascal Gross to do the creative work throughout 2019-20.
Yves Bissouma’s emergence in the season just finished explains part of the reason why Propper fell from favour. With Bissouma fulfilling defensive duties in a two man midfield, there was no room for Propper. Another is that Potter has been on something of a mission to remove all Hughton’s regulars bar Lewis Dunk, Solly March and Gross.
Even Gross spent the first half of 2020-21 out of the side, starting just six of the opening 18 games of the season.
It was only once his return in January coincided with a very obvious upturn in form following two wins in 18 matches that Potter found he could not drop the German playmaker.
In fact, Gross’ form was so good that he finished fifth in our WAB 2020-21 Player of the Season poll. Imagine what he might have done if he played for the entire campaign?
Propper meanwhile has gone the other way. Gross, Bissouma, Steve Alzate, Adam Lallana, Alexis Mac Allister and Jakub Moder have all gone ahead of him in the midfield pecking order. With Moises Caicedo and Jayson Molumby waiting in the wings, Propper had to move on this summer for the sake of his career.
It is therefore a move which suits all parties. Propper gets first team football. PSV get an excellent footballer who they already know all about. Brighton get a hefty earner who has barely featured since January off the wage bill, even if they have had to let him go effectively on a free transfer – for now.
When people look back at the players who helped establish Brighton as a Premier League club during those first three seasons in the top flight, Davy Propper will be one who is remembered most fondly for his contribution. If Propper played well, the Albion played well.
He has been a joy to watch. The Heineken will be on us if he ever pops back to Sussex again.
