Jakub Moder and his Brighton future under Fabian Hurzeler
Jakub Moder has not played a minute of either friendly or competitive football for Brighton under Fabian Hurzeler so far.
He came close to leaving the Albion in the summer transfer window. Had Chelsea not copied Brighton’s homework (again) and hijacked the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at the last minute, Moder would have joined Leicester City as part of the deal bringing the midfielder who sounds like a wedding venue to the Amex Stadium.
Moder got so far as to complete a medical with the Foxes before the Dewsbury-Hall move was called off. The Polish international was also linked with Everton.
The lack of game time and the Albion being more than happy to move Moder on in the summer transfer window suggests he is not wanted by Brighton.
But speaking on international duty as Poland prepare to take on Scotland and Croatia in the Nations League, Moder expressed a different view.
Jakub Moder on his Brighton future
The Brighton Polska Fan Club highlighted comments made by Moder when asked in a press conference before Thursday night’s game at Hampden Park about his current situation with the Albion.
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Jakub Moder na temat sytuacji w klubie na konferencji przed meczami Ligi Narodów:
"Generalnie sytuacja jest taka jaka była przed EURO. Jestem zawodnikiem Brighton i trener chciał żebym został w klubie. Oczywiście byłem kontuzjowany przez praktycznie cały okres przygotowawczy, pic.twitter.com/tM5mJjViJl— Brighton Polska (@BHAFCPoland) September 3, 2024
“Generally, the situation is the same as it was before the Euros,” said Moder. “I am a Brighton player and the coach wanted me to stay at the club.”
“Of course, I was injured for almost the entire preparation period so it was hard for the coach to see me too.”
“He only saw me in those matches at the Euros, but he’s only seen me in training for about a week, but he wanted me to stay at the club, to be part of the team, and that’s basically how I would describe my situation at the moment.”
Moder being injured has come as news to virtually everyone. The club had not disclosed any sort of problem, although it would explain his absence through pre-season and why he was not even on the bench for the League Cup game against Crawley Town.
But even taking into account that Moder’s omission has been enforced rather than out of choice, does he have a future at Brighton?
Injuries and positions
Two reasons can be given why Moder has never really established himself as a first choice player with the Albion. The first, obviously, is injury.
Moder missed the best part of 18 months after requiring at least two knee surgeries on ACL damage suffered in a 0-0 draw against Norwich City in April 2022.
The Albion were understandably ultra-cautious when he did return in November 2023. Moder was used sparingly by Roberto De Zerbi, making only seven Premier League starts despite a lengthy absentee list in the second half of the season.
Moder’s other problem is that nobody really knows what his best position is. De Zerbi used him as a left winger, number 10, holding midfielder and right back.
Four different positions in seven outings is some going. And that is before you take into account how many roles Moder was shoehorned into when Glow Up Graham Potter was picking his team using a roulette wheel.
Ask three Albion fans their opinion on Moder’s best position and you will get three different answers. In his Brighton career so far, he has been a jack of all trades but a master of none.
Moder in the midfield pecking order
Midfield was the area De Zerbi frequently highlighted as needing reinforcements last season. Although Tony Bloom and Paul Barber OBE did not take well to being criticised in public, the signing of four new players capable of playing as central midfielders for a combined total of £100 million suggests they have listened to the fiery Italian.
Mats Wieffer and Matt O’Riley are natural fits for the position. Brajan Gruda has played there before for Mainz. Ferdi Kadioglu is comfortable in the middle of the park, although the likelihood is he will fit into a full back role.
Hurzeler has realised playing James Milner as a full back is a disaster waiting to happen. The veteran has subsequently started all three Premier League games so far in midfield.
Add Carlos Baleba into the mix and with Hurzeler clearly a fan of Yasin Ayari, Moder finds himself potentially seventh choice for one of the two midfield roles. Eighth if Jack Hinshelwood is redeployed from his current left back position.
There seems little chance of Moder getting game time as a number 10 either. Joao Pedro has that position nailed down. Waiting in the wings are £40 million signing Georginio Rutter, Julio Enciso and Gruda.
If Brighton had a full fit and available squad, Moder would appear to have little prospect of playing. But that is not currently the case.
Wieffer, O’Riley, Gruda, Kadigolu and Milner are all out for varying periods of time. Brighton played for 75 minutes at Arsenal with a midfield pairing of Baleba and Ayari.
Injuries mean Moder may have an unexpected opportunity to impress Hurzeler after the international break. It is one he needs to take if he wants to have a future as a midfielder at Brighton.
Moder the full back
One of the most surprising statistics from the 2023-24 Premier League campaign was Moder clocking the fifth fastest sprint of any player by hitting 36.84 km/h.
Or as The Football Faithful put it: “Moder has been speeding on and off the pitch after recently losing his driving licence following a number of offences.”
Could Moder put this pace nobody seemed to know he has to better use at full back? Potter semi-frequently used Moder as a left wing back whilst easily his best performance last season came when played at right back in the final game against Manchester United.
The highlight saw Moder chase down Alejandro Garnacho as the United winger went one-on-one with Jason Steele, producing a perfectly timed last man sliding tackle from behind to avert the danger.
If Moder defended like that every week, he would be an intriguing full back option. Hurzeler currently has Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey, Pervis Estupinan, Hinshelwood and Kadioglu to pick from.
Estupinan is just back from an operation. Veltman went off injured at Arsenal. Kadioglu has not played so far due to injury. Lamptey’s fitness record hardly inspires confidence. And Hinshelwood’s long-term future surely lies in midfield.
Moder would be helped even more if Hurzeler ever moves to the 3-4-3 formation he used at St Pauli. With his height, physicality, new-found speed and tackling ability, Moder looks an ideal candidate for such an athletically demanding position requiring a player as good at attacking as they are defending.
But with Brighton unbeaten and playing so well using 4-2-3-1, it seems unlikely Hurzeler will change approach any time soon and leaves Moder on the fringes with nobody sure how or where he fits in.
It all makes for an uncertain future for a player who, at 25-years- needs to be playing regular first team football having lost almost two years of his career to injury.
