No more Moder on the Dancefloor. Polish midfielder Jakub Moder has left Brighton to join Feyenoord for a nominal fee six months before his Albion contract was due to expire.
Moder moves to the Netherlands for £1.2 million five years after his arrival in Sussex for £9.5 million from Lech Poznan. His capture was part of a double raid on Poland with Legia Warsaw left back Michal Karbownik also arriving for £5 million.
A third Pole was added to the Albion ranks two Januarys later when Kacper Kozlowski made a £9 million move from Pogon Szczecin.
Moder has been by far and away the most successful of the trio. Kozlowski managed a grand total of zero Premier League minutes in a Brighton shirt. Karbownik fared only slightly better with one FA Cup and one League Cup appearance for the Albion.
In contrast, Moder leaves having played 71 times. He scored two goals – one in the FA Cup and one in the League Cup – and registered four assists.
Those numbers would be much higher had he not suffered an ACL injury in April 2022. Moder had only just entered proceedings when he went down under no pressure during a 0-0 draw with Norwich City
Two surgeries were eventually required, ruling Moder out for 20 months. He missed the entire 2022-23 campaign and was denied the chance to represent Poland at the 2022 World Cup.
By the time Moder returned, he found himself a long way down the midfield pecking order. He has started just six games Premier League games since his comeback, all of which came last season under Roberto De Zerbi.
Injury was not the only issue to impact the Brighton career of Moder. He was one of the biggest victims of Graham Potter Position Roulette.
In the two years between his Albion debut and doing his ACL, Moder was used by Glow Up as a number 10, central midfielder, defensive midfielder, left wing back and right wing back.
Roberto De Zerbi also used Moder in a variety of midfield roles. To muddy the waters further, Moder’s best performance post-ACL came at right back when Manchester United won 2-0 at the Amex on the final day of last season.
After five years with the Albion, Brighton fans are none the wiser about what Moder’s strongest position is. His chances of nailing down a starting spot were not helped by being a Jack of all trades, master of none.
The fact Moder happily shunted from one position to another underlines his professionalism. Which is part of the reason he was so popular with Seagulls supporters in spite of making a limited impact on the pitch.
That professionalism extends to the uncertainty surrounding his future over the past six months. In the summer, Moder underwent a medical at Leicester. He believed he was headed to the King Power Stadium to help Brighton facilitate a deal for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The Foxes midfielder with a name like a shit wedding venue had a change of heart at the last minute, however. Dewsbury-Hall opting for more money and no playing time at Chelsea not only impacted Brighton, but also Moder.
Still Moder just got on with it, doing whatever the Albion needed. He has never let Brighton down when called upon. Subseuently, Jakub Moder joins Feyenoord with the best wishes of Albion fans everywhere.
A fresh start will hopefully do him a world of good. It is not so long ago that Moder ran the midfield show when Poland held England to a 1-1 draw in World Cup qualifying.
Before his ACL, many Polish football fans expected their side would be built around Moder in the coming years. That is the reason why there was so much despair at his injury.
Which then turned into anger directed at the club for what was seen in Poland as mishandling by the Albion, based upon two operations being needed. Resulting in a layoff six months longer than Solly March has experienced.
Playing in the less physical, slower paced Dutch league should help Moder regain confidence and suit his skillset. Feyenood also offer Champions League football. Moder could make his debut on Wednesday night in the small matter of Bayern Munich visiting De Kuip.
After a Brighton career which never hit the heights it could have done because of injury and being a victim of his own versatility, Jakub Moder deserves success at Feyenoord.
