Does the Albion’s work in the transfer window make much sense?
After a couple of exciting and uplifting weeks for Brighton & Hove Albion fans as the Seagulls swooped to two wins out of two in the Premier League, the last week has been a bit of a downer.
Firstly, we had the abject performance against Everton. Whilst many would say the season is a marathon and not a sprint, for a lifelong fan who has witnessed more downs than ups, the prospect of a decent display against Everton giving us three points and top spot in the Premier League – even for just an hour – was enthralling.
Despite a great start to the 2021-22 season by Graham Potter, including what seemed like a new found desire to use the bench better, the approach to the Everton game was like a reversion to 2020-21.
Last season, the Albion displayed the trait of a rather supine attitude to various games, collecting the just reward of nothing. I would like to see more fire emanating from Potter and being imparted to the team.
Given the display by the players, I am not sure that incentive of the top spot was something desired by Potter or the team. It felt as if either we were not motivated enough to take the fight to Everton or we lacked the skills in our squad to overcome a very well organized and drilled team.
In my humble assessment, Potter is not the fire and brimstone sort. He is more like a Nuffield Chemistry course (results through self discovery).
Whilst in this day and age this may sound appealing and very woke, I am not sure this is a path to football success. Can Potter be expected to inspire more out of the players than they are currently giving to help Brighton climb the Premier League table?
If the answer is no, then the importance of getting our transfer dealings right and improving the squad is paramount. Even more so with the outward movement on loan of what hitherto had seemed to be upcoming talents who could have given the likes of Neal Maupay, Adam Webster, Pascal Gross and the rest a run for their money by creating competition for the starting line up.
On the issue of squad strength, granted we can point to the unfortunate injury to Solly March and the continuing absence of Tariq Lamptey. Once those two are fit, we look a lot stronger in wide areas.
But as plaudits continue to justifiably ring around about our academy, what I am at a loss to understand is our transfer strategy in its entirety.
Whilst the sale of Ben White looks a masterstroke, I am concerned that the ridiculous fee received is more due to Arsenal’s ineptitude rather than our acumen.
If reports are true that Edu turned down reducing the White fee to £30 million by throwing in Eddie Nketiah, it seems to me that the Gunners hit the panic button and overpaid.
One swallow does not a summer make and this one piece of financial alchemy has not resulted (yet) in a coherent result for the squad in terms of reinvestment. Far from it in fact.
If anything, we look a little weaker comparing this season to last. Jose Izquierdo was allowed to salsa off the dance floor. The Lion of Judah has roared his way to Egypt. Andi Zeqiri yodelled off to Augsburg. Florin Andone sailed off to Cadiz. Michael Karbownik raced off to Olympiakos…
Warren Morgan did a nice piece on all those moves but the speed with which Brighton players are heading for the exit meant that within an hour or two of it being published, several more players had gone out the door.
The question then is – what is the grandmaster plan? The signing of Marc Cucurella has been announced and you can then perm any number of strikers and wide midfielders that are associated with the club. All will be revealed by midnight on Tuesday… or not.
I am quite fearful that the transfer ledger will show a big imbalance between incomings and outgoings. And given the result against a well organised Everton team, we need either to get more from what we have via good old fashioned motivational techniques or an infusion of new talent to fill the holes we may have through injury or are inherently short of.
And then despite all the players leaving, we have still have two individuals who defy any rational explanation as to what is going on with them – Aaron Connolly and Jurgen Locadia.
Connolly desperately needs both a fire and brimstone manager to knock some sense into him and a run to regain what confidence he has lost.
As for Locadia, well let us just call him the Dutch enigma. Neither seem to be going anywhere, which given the moves of more talented players seems strange.
I just hope that deadline day produces something dramatic and unexpected to reveal a masterplan that I am hitherto not seeing.
But if on Wednesday morning we wake up ruing the nearly-signings of Tino Livramento and Nicolas Gonzalez whilst The Leeds United have signed Daniel James, Crystal Palace Odsonne Edouard and other teams we may be in the thick of it with also strengthen – not to mention the possible sale of Yves Bissouma – then our August Rush will have well and truly turned into an Autumn Fall.
