It is the end of an era at the Albion. Pascal Gross completes a dream move from Brighton to Borussia Dortmund, joining the club he supported as a boy for a fee of £6 million.
The deal could be worth up to £10 million to the Albion if Gross meets certain achievements to trigger bonuses.
In reality though, this was never a transfer about money. It was an opportunity to give one of the greatest Brighton players of all time the opportunity to finish his career back in his homeland in front of the famous Yellow Wall.
Gross joined the Albion from Ingostadt for £3 million in the summer of 2017. He became the Seagulls’ first signing after winning promotion to the Premier League and went onto become the player who did more than anyone else to keep and establish Brighton in the top flight.
With eight assists and seven goals in his debut 2017-18 campaign, Gross was involved in nearly 50 percent of the Albion’s total of 34. Without him, Brighton would almost certainly have suffered an immediate return to the Championship.
His importance was really underline though when Graham Potter restricted Gross to largely substitute appearances though the first half of the 2020-21 season.
Two wins from 18 games saw Potter set a club record for worst start to a top flight season in Brighton history.
When Glow Up finally realised the error of his ways and restored Gross to the starting XI, Brighton were victorious in seven games from the final 20 to pull clear of the relegation zone.
Gross was dropped again the Spring of 2022 by Potter, coinciding with six consecutive defeats and only one goal scored in seven games.
His return saw Brighton lose just two of their next 13, spanning the end of 2021-22 and the start of the 2022-23 season.
Gross scored five times and assisted three across that period, helping to earn Potter a big-money move to Chelsea. Lol.
Der Kaiser really kicked on under Roberto De Zerbi. Number 10. Holding midfielder. Right back. Left back. It didn’t matter where Gross was deployed, he always did a job.
10 goals and 10 assists made 2022-23 the most prolific of Gross’ career. De Zerbi hailed Gross one of the best players he had ever worked with.
13 assists and four goals followed in 2023-24 as Gross became the Albion’s record Premier League scorer. Only Michael Robinson on 37 has more top flight goals for Brighton.
Over his seven seasons in the Premier League, Gross created 508 chances. Just Kevin De Bruyne managed more over the same period.
Despite his achievements with Brighton, Gross remained relatively unknown in his homeland. That was until his form under De Zerbi forced him into the German national squad.
Suddenly, the entire Fatherland were aware of this creator and scorer of goals. It has earned Gross a move to Dortmund, where he has signed a two-year deal through to 2026.
Gross will wear the number 13 shirt for Dortmund. He said upon his signing: “I’m delighted to be a Borussia Dortmund player. Signing for this club is a huge deal for me, as I’ve been a Dortmund fan since I was a kid.”
“I’ll try to repay the club’s faith in me by playing my game, and I can’t wait to play alongside my new teammates in front of the BVB fans at the Signal Iduna Park and to work hard with everyone here to achieve our ambitious goals.”
The timing of the deal means Gross will not receive the send off he deserves from the Amex faithful. Hopefully, he can return to Brighton to watch a game during the German winter break or something, giving Albion supporters the chance to say a proper goodbye.
Even better would be a friendly next summer against Dortmund. Welcoming Gross back to the Amex would be a sure-fire way to ensure the traditional home summer warmup game is played in front of more than a half-empty stadium.
Whilst it is sad to think we will never see a Gross Turn bamboozle an opponent again, watch one of his beautiful arching crosses or see his knee slide as another goal flies in, Gross departs having left a mark on Brighton few other players have managed.
We should be grateful to have watched such an exquisite footballer in the stripes for so long. A player who lifted the Albion to heights never experienced before.
Danke, Pascal. It has been an honour.
