đ”âȘïž Could Xherdan Shaqiri be on his way to Brighton? Do we need a new left back and central midfiel
After weeks upon weeks of football fans eagerly waiting for the summer transfer window to begin, it has finally opened, and has done so a couple of weeks early in fact. Usually, the window would open on June 1st, however, due to a couple of complications with FIFA, it has been moved forward and, weâre not complaining, of course!
This time is especially great for us as Brighton supporterâs due to the fact we are still reasonably new to the Premier League and still require a few new acquisitions in order to defend our Premier League status again next season. In my view, we should specifically be looking to improve the left back, central midfield and attacking positions. No disrespect to those who are currently fitted into our system in those places, though, I just feel as if we could definitely increase the ability in these areas. Left back, for example, is currently filled by Cameroonian international Gaetan Bong, who, donât get me wrong, has been surprisingly decent this season, however, I just believe that someone that has had more top-division experience would be a little more suitable. For example, maybe someone like Kieran Gibbs would be a good player to consider. He used to play for Arsenal on a consistent basis at full back, gaining invaluable experience at the highest level and at times was so impressive that he gained a few appearances for England. He isnât the fastest player in the world, but what he is a true all-rounder. He can tackle efficiently, can run the line between defence and attack quite well and can also use his leadership skills to compose other players on the field. Furthermore, Gibbs, due to just being relegated to the Championship with West Brom, would likely be available for a fee as low as four-to-six million pounds. He may not be the player he used to be, but in my opinion, at a price such as that, Kieran Gibbs would be an absolute steal. - I really hope the board consider him.
In the centre of midfield, and hereâs another player who has just been relegated, this time from Stoke City â Joe Allen. The midfielder, just like Kieran Gibbs, has a lot of experience at the highest level through previously playing for Liverpool and being a star man in the Welsh national team for a number of years. In fact, he was named in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament back in 2016, which in my eyes, is rather astonishing. Having someone like this at Brighton would mean unfortunately replacing a fan favourite in Dale Stephens in the starting line-up, but I believe that if the opportunity arises to sign Allen, we simply canât turn it down. He may be slightly worse when it comes to the defensive side of the game compared to Stephens, playing at quite a competent level here, but as a playmaker he is very good. In his time in the Premier League he has made an average of 42 passes per game across 199 appearances, which to put into perspective, is superior to the likes of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard. Similar to Gibbs, the Welshman will be available for a very low cost of under ÂŁ10m. This, in the current inflated market would be a great bit of business. Obviously, a player of this stature wonât just be looked at by us and there will be other teams around rivalling us for his signature, so I really hope that the board can put together a good case to bring him to the Amex. It will be a challenge to lure him here but the quality he would bring to the squad would be fantastic to possess.
Joe Allen would be an amazing signing but his teammate, Xherdan Shaqiri, would be even better. The Swiss international has had all the more experience than Allen and even Gibbs, representing his country 68 times, beating both combined. Shaqiri is a lot more of an advanced player than Allen, getting into more attacking areas more frequently, and this has resulted in some great goal scoring form across the years. In the Premier League alone he has scored 15 goals in just over 50 starts and has also assisted a lot, once again gaining 15. He hasnât just proved his efficiency in front of goal in England, either. Heâs had experience for some of the best clubs in Europe, netting for both Inter Milan and Bayern Munich on a number of occasions earlier in his career. Shaqiri is someone who would add an extra dimension to our attack; instead of playing a 4-4-1-1 like we did all of last season, we could play a number of new formations which in turn will make it very hard for the opposition to plan ahead of facing us. The Swiss playmaker can play in pretty much every role across the attack and therefore making a change in system very easy. As a player whoâs reasonably two-footed, you could place him on the left or right wing with no issue and with the crossing ability he has, he could be a very dangerous player indeed.
If I had to pick just one of these players to sign it would be Shaqiri. If you think about it, we probably donât need someone in the attacking sector of the field as much as we do in the defensive, however, I just feel that having him in the squad would make us such a better side. It would mean of course having some of our favourite players lose game minutes, but he would definitely improve us and allow for us to hopefully improve on what we have just achieved in finishing fifteenth. Unfortunately, due to him not having a relegation release clause, signing him would probably require a hefty fee â possibly upwards of ÂŁ20m. That would smash our previous transfer record of the ÂŁ13.5m we paid for JĂŒrgen Locadia in January but itâs got to be worth it, right?
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