Paint the town Reda – Khadra signs new Brighton contract through to 2023
Reda Khadra has been rewarded for a fine first season in England with a new Brighton & Hove Albion contract, keeping him at the Amex until 2023.
The forward has been one of the most impressive players on show in the Albion’s Under 23s in 2020-21 after arriving in October following his release by Borussia Dortmund.
Khedra turned out for the German giant’s Under 16s, Under 17s and Under 18s during his time at Signal Iduna park, winning the Bundesliga Under 17s title in 2017-18 and the Under 19s title a season later. He has represented Germany at Under 18s level and also qualifies for Lebanon through his parents.
In total, Khedra made 69 appearances for Dortmund’s youth teams, scoring two goals and providing 11 assists. He also turned out once for the first team, scoring the first goal in a 5-0 friendly win against Energie Cottbus in June 2019 a month before his 18th birthday.
After leaving Dortmund last summer, Khedra trained with Stoke City and had a trial with Manchester United prior to the Seagulls swooping for his signature.
In six Premier League 2 appearances so far for the Albion’s development squad, he has plundered three goals and claimed two assists. That form was good enough to convince Graham Potter to hand him a first team debut as a late substitute in January’s 1-0 defeat against Manchester City but further involvement with the senior squad has been restricted by injury.
Khedra has spent most of his career so far operating as a winger. Where he fits in long-term at Brighton will be interesting as Potter’s favoured 3-4-1-2 does not use wingers in the traditional sense and Khedra does not look to have the skillset to operate as a wing back.
If Potter were to persist with his new W-M formation seen in the win over Newcastle United and the defeat at Manchester United, then Khedra would appear to be ready made to fulfil one of the split strikers roles.
Alternatively, he could find himself converted into either a number 10 – as Brighton have done with Leandro Trossard who arrived from Genk as a wide man – or a second striker, similar to Aaron Connolly.
Khedra’s pace and power is reminiscent of Connolly, whose fortunes also serve as a bit of a warning not to think that a player who scores goals at PL2 level is ready-made for the top flight.
There is a world of difference between development squad football and the Premier League, as Connolly’s struggles (when he is not breaking lockdown regulations) are testament to.
Still, Reda Khedra is an exciting prospect and at 19-years-old, one who has plenty of time on his side to make the breakthrough with Brighton. A spell on loan may be on the cards next season, but he is certainly a player worth keeping an eye on over the coming years.
