Brighton have been blessed with a legendary cohort of central midfield players in recent years who, under Roberto De Zerbi, propelled the club into Europe.
But now the trio of Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Pascal Gross are all gone. At the time of writing Billy Gilmour – surely another potential midfield great at the Albion – seems to want a transfer to Napoli.
The Albion for their part are said to be willing to sell should the Serie A club offer around £14 million. A figure which has surprised a lot of Brighton fans because of how low it is.
So with our four first choice midfielders from the past two seasons all sold, who are likely to be our new midfield generals under Fabian Hurzeler? What even is a midfielder these days?
First things first, what can I add to what has already been said about Gross? A legend. An often underrated but vitally important part of our Premier League story so far.
Top Premier League scorer, saviour from relegation, a player with an absolute armoury of skills and abilities. Flexible and loyal.
Like all players though, his career is finite, and no-one should begrudge him the chance to see it out at his boyhood club in the home country he now proudly represents at international level.
I am sadder in one respect that we will probably not get to see more of Gilmour. For me, a contender for Player of the Season 2023-24 had Gross not been the standout winner.
What does the Albion’s future look like in those central midfield positions? Modern midfielders can, like Gross, be called upon to play in a variety of different roles and positions.
Filling in at left back, playing wide, as a number 10 behind the striker, being a box to box number 8 or as a defensive midfielder making vital interceptions and protecting the back four.
Being able to adapt is a key strength alongside, well, strength. I wouldn’t claim for a minute to be an expert in tactics or analysis of what a good midfielder should be, but an ability to drop in to any number of roles seems to be a key desirable for any midfielder these days.
Brighton have 14 players listed as midfielders on the club website, although the label seems to have been applied to wingers too. A sign that it is had to know exactly what a midfielder is.
James Milner seems set to break the Premier League appearance record before the New Year. But no matter how fit he is or games he plays, he is not the future. His part at the Albion is as much about mentoring young players as it is contributing on the pitch.
Solly March is one of those you would say with certainty is a winger rather than a midfielder. We all hope he returns soon from the ACL injury picked up in October. Fingers crossed in the sort of form he showed under De Zerbi.
Jakub Moder is a player who has already made that return from long-term absence, and arguably has not yet hit the levels we saw prior to his devastating knee injury.
Moder looked likely to depart earlier in the summer. Various loan moves were touted and he was included as a makeweight in the deal which almost brought Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Brighton. With Gross gone and Gilmour likely to follow, I now hope and expect Moder stays.
Carlos Baleba is probably the biggest midfield prospect at Brghton based on what we saw last season. Raw talent and far from the finished article, he has much of the promise of a young Caicedo with less than two seasons of first team football behind him. He could be a star this season.
Mitoma again is a winger or forward, another whose return from injury is eagerly anticipated. Facundo Buonanotte is more of a number 10 than a traditional midfielder, but at the time of writing looks destined for a loan move to Feyenoord.
The deal seems likely to include an option to buy, which seems a shame for a real talent who has already delivered big moments like goals against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
Jack Hinshelwood is another versatile footballer who was last season’s breakout player before injury curtailed his contribution. De Zerbi used him as both a full back and a midfielder and he often found himself popping up to score at close range.
Hinshelwood’s versatility make comparisons with Gross obvious. And of course, De Zerbi himself described Hinshelwood as “Pascal’s son”.
Cameron Peupion has been around the fringes of the first team but I am not sure if or how he will feature under Hurzeler.
Onto the new additions and Mats Wieffer adds to our already strong Netherlands contingent, although we are yet to see him in pre-season so far because of injury. He could be a first choice in midfield as an already seasoned and experienced player.
Malik Yalcouye is only 18-years-old but impressed in Japan. He could possibly be an option from the bench or in cup games as he develops and acclimatises to the Premier League following his move from IFK Goteborg.
Amario Cozier-Duberry was one of the stars of the Japan tour. He looks an absolutely mouth-watering prospect for the new season. It is easy to see why Arsenal fans hailed him the next Bukayo Saka.
Three of the players listed as midfielders on the Brighton website were loaned out last season. Jeremy Sarmiento has done his hopes of involvement under Hurzeler no harm by looking sharp in Japan having helped Ipswich Town to promotion last season. He is another who is very much an attacking midfielder or winger in my view.
It is hard to see Mahmoud Dahoud featuring as he was not part of the 31 man squad who went on tour. Yasin Ayari meanwhile is a maybe.
Then there are two more players from the Under 23s in Jensen Weir and Andrew Moran. Whether they go on loan or play a role from the bench is unknown.
Incoming options to further rebuild the Brighton midfield include Julio Enciso’s Paraguayan compatriot Diego Gomez.
Billed as both a Gross replacement and the next N’Golo Kante by Transfermarkt.co.uk, Gomez is likely to command a record MLS free from Inter Miami. In any case, he will stay in Florida until the North American seasons ends in December.
Reports of a rejected £33 million bid for Fenerbahce midfielder Ferdi Kadioglu are unconfirmed. He is a player able to to play anywhere in defence, midfield or on the wing apparently.
At 24-years-old and equalling the club-record fee Brighton paid earlier in the summer for Yankubu Minteh, the Turkish international would be a likely starting option for our new German coach.
In summary, Brighton central midfield options on paper currently look limited following the sale of four first choice players. Milner, Moder, Baleba, Hinshelwood and Wieffer are the only players I would consider ready to play regularly.
I would therefore expect at least one more signing to strengthen the options available to Hurzeler as he tries to fill the gap left by Gross, Gilmour, Caicedo and Mac Allister leaving.
Right now, it seems like Wieffer and Baleba are the favourites to start the season in midfield for Brighton when it gets underway at Goodison Park – with backup provided by Milner, Moder and maybe Weir.
The title of Brighton midfield general is very much up for grabs.
Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC
