What does Matt Clarke’s arrival mean for Brighton’s other centre backs?

Brighton and Hove Albion’s capture of Matt Clarke from Portsmouth means that the Seagulls now have five senior centre backs on their books – and it doesn’t take the wonderful Rachel Riley to tell you that might be one too many.

Lewis Dunk. Shane Duffy. Leon Balogun. Dan Burn. And now Clarke. Five players who all need first team football – with the possible exception of Burn – for a variety of different reasons.

Dunk and Duffy are the men in possession of the shirts and quite rightly so after two extraordinary seasons in the Premier League. It would be a brave man who breaks up their partnership.

Balogun is at an age where time is precious and so he wants to be playing first team football. Clarke arrives having been made Portsmouth captain at the age of 22 and as the winner of back-to-back Player of the Season awards at Fratton Park. He will need regular game time to continue his impressive development.

How is all this going to work? Five into two doesn’t fit after all – so what could Clarke’s signing mean for the Albion’s other centre backs?

Lewis Dunk
What happens with Dunk looks like it will depend on what happens with Harry Maguire. Should Leicester City end up selling Maguire to Manchester City or one of his other many admirers, then there is every chance that Brendan Rodgers will eye up Dunk as Maguire’s replacement.

Should a bid from the Foxes be forthcoming, the Albion may find it hard to hold onto Dunk’s services. No matter what the more blinkered of Seagulls supporters may think, a move to the King Power Stadium would be a step up for Dunk.

He’d be joining a club with one of the best managers in the country and some of the best young talents in the Premier League who should be pushing for Europe this coming season.

With Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all in transition, you could even make the case that they might be able to crack open that glass ceiling to the top six. Not to mention the boost that playing for a team higher up the table will give Dunk’s hopes of further international recognition.

If Leicester do make a move for Dunk, then Clarke’s arrival at the Amex might just soften that blow a little.

Shane Duffy
Based on the fact that Duffy was voted as Player of the Season, his worth to the Albion is arguably even greater than Dunk’s. Which makes it surprising that he has never been seriously linked to a club higher up the Premier League food chain than the Albion.

Selling Duffy would be unthinkable to many Brighton fans, but if the right big money bid came in then the club’s resolve to retain the Irishman’s services might not be as strong as we all think.

The club and Potter are said to be well aware of the “drinking culture” within the squad and know that it requires dealing with. Selling one of the main protagonists for a huge sum of money would be one way to break up the cabal.

Dan Burn
There seems little prospect of Burn going anywhere and indeed, Clarke’s arrival changes little for him. He arrived from Wigan Athletic knowing that he was going to be fourth choice for the position and that’s probably still the place he occupies in the pecking order.

Other reasons to keep him include the fact that he doesn’t have a full compliment of working fingers and the “Burn, Danny Burn” song to Disco Inferno has been criminally underused so far.

Leon Balogun
It’s all ifs, buts and maybes when it comes to the futures of Dunk and Duffy. There is a little more certainty surrounding Balogun who is rumoured to be unhappy about his lack of game time in the 2018-19 season.

At the age of 31, that’s understandable. He probably only has a couple more seasons left at the top level and he shouldn’t be spending them sat on the bench.

That’s where he’ll be if he remains at the Amex. There is no chance of him usurping Dunk or Duffy if they stay and you could argue he will be behind both Clarke and Burn in the pecking order given he hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees since his summer arrival from FSV Mainz a year ago.

Balogun had an impressive full debut away at Liverpool and he of course scored that thumping volley against Crystal Palace with his first touch just seconds after coming on.

But that seems to have papered over the cracks somewhat. He gave away a penalty in that Palace game, should have been sent off before he’d touched the ball away at Huddersfield, gifted Chelsea a goal when they came to the Amex and had an absolute horror show against West Bromwich Albion’s kids in the FA Cup replay at the Hawthorns.

Given that Balogun was signed on a free, selling him on now should mean making a tidy profit. It also gives him the opportunity to seek first team football. It’s a win-win situation and that is what makes his departure the most probable scenario.

Or will Potter play three at the back?
Of course, Clarke’s arrival may not signal the departure of anyone. Should Potter be looking to introduce a back three as he used successfully during his time with Ostersunds, then it might well be the case that he needs five players to compete for three spots in the team.

They say to have enough depth to cope in the Premier League, then you need two good players for every position. If you are playing with three centre backs, then five seems an adequate number. After all, it only takes a couple of injuries or suspensions to have you running out of options.

Nobody is going to know exactly what Potter is planning until the Albion line up at Vicarage Road on the opening day of the season on August 10th. Until then, it’s anybody’s guess what will happen.