Who doesn’t love a seemingly far fetched transfer rumour? And in Borussia Dortmund legend Mats Hummels signing for Brighton on a free transfer, this summer has delivered in spades.
There are multiple reasons as to why we can assume Hummels to the Albion is bollocks. Firstly, it was broken on Twitter by Nicolo Schira.
A ‘transfer expert’ whose expertise seems to extend to posting hundreds of rumours on Twitter, the vast majority of which never come to fruition.
Google Nicolo Schira genuine and you will see a whole host of ‘exclusives’ which did not happen. Then there is this fascinating thread from Colin Millar of the The Athletic about the fake news of Schira.
Millar’s key line is: “He (Schira) will have posted rumours which are true (even a broken clock is right twice a day), which will be highlighted. Such is the constant sport news cycle, the false rumours are swiftly forgotten.”
Is Mats Hummels to Brighton a broken clock moment? Or just made up nonsense from Schira designed to generate clicks, attention and lead other website to discuss the transfer? Yes, I appreciate the irony here of WAB doing exactly that.
Clubs other than Brighton interested in Mats Hummels
Unsurprisingly, Hummels has attracted the attention of plenty of clubs since it was announced he would be leaving Dortmund on a free this summer.
It is not every day that a World Cup winner with 78 German caps, 508 appearances for BVB and 118 games for Bayern Munich becomes available for nothing.
Hummels has six Bundelisga titles to his name and three DFB Pokals. He might be approaching the end of his career aged 35, but he still played 40 times for a Dortmund side who reached the Champions League final last season.
In the semi finals against Paris Saint-Germain, Hummels was named man-of-the-match following both legs as BVB shocked the big-spending French outfit.
According to reports, Hummels has already turned down offers from Ajax, Benfica, Lille, Monaco and two clubs from the Saudi Sportswashing League.
Four clubs remain in the race for his signature. West Ham United. Bologna. Brighton. Bayer Leverkusen. Of those, the Albion looks the least likely destination.
Lerverkusen offers Hummels the chance to stay in Germany and sign for the Bundesliga champions. He could further his already impressive legacy by helping Bayer defend the double they won last season, which would give Hummels the seventh Bundesliga title of his career.
Bologna can offer Champions League football. West Ham meanwhile have the biggest spending power of the four. If Hummels does not wish to take a significant cut on his rumoured £140,000 per week wages at Dortmund, the London Stadium will be his likely destination.
Brighton looking to add experience to their young squad
Brighton do currently have an opening for one relatively big-money, experienced signing. It has been the Albion’s policy for several seasons now to have three to four veterans with top level, international experience in what is otherwise always a young squad.
James Milner, Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana filled the roles last season. Andy Naylor reported the club were keen to add another for 2024-25 – and that was before Lallana announced his departure.
With no experienced veteran yet to sign this summer, Brighton in theory have Lallana’s £90,000 weekly wage available for a replacement player. Could that be enough to tempt Hummels to the Amex?
His profile make him an ideal candidate. Milner and Welbeck are valued for what they bring off the pitch as much as on it.
Having spent his entire career at the two biggest clubs in Germany, Hummels would have a huge impact mentoring the likes of Jan Paul van Hecke and Carlos Baleba as Fabian Hurzeler debates using the Cameroonian midfielder as a defender in the new season.
Mats Hummels the player
Brighton currently have five senior centre back options in their squad. Van Hecke. Lewis Dunk. Adam Webster. Joel Veltman. Igor Julio.
Igor is yet to play in pre-season and has been linked with a move to AC Milan. Veltman has spent most of his Albion career at right back.
If Igor were to depart, Brighton would be down to three centre backs. Whether Hurzeler opts for the 3-4-3 formation he used so successfully at St Pauli or goes with 4-2-3-1 he tried in the friendly win at QPR, Brighton need four central defenders in their squad.
There appears to be an opening for a centre back and no obvious player either in the development squad or on the fringes of the first team to fill it.
Brighton could spend a similar amount to the £15 million lavished on Igor last summer to net a new defender from elsewhere.
Or they could use the money saved by not having to pay a transfer fee for Hummels to offer him a beefier weekly wage in an attempt to get closer to what West Ham can pay.
Hummels and Hurzeler
Every good transfer rumour needs a tenuous link to add more credence to it. So how about this? Hurzeler and Hummels have known each other for nearly 20 years.
They were both academy players at Bayern Munich, although Hummels was several years ahead of Hurzeler. Hummels made his debut for Bayern Munich II in 2006, aged 18. Hurzeler did not feature for Bayern’s second string until reaching the same age in 2011.
Another link comes from Hurzeler being scouted and coached at Bayern by Hummels’ father, Hermann. It is easy to put two and two together and end up with five considering how Hurzeler’s career has been intertwined with the Hummels family.
Will any of that be enough to lead Mats Hummels to become a Brighton player? Probably not. It remains most likely a rumour created on the whim of a bloke posting on Twitter.
Still, seeing the Albion linked with a World Cup winner and one of the most successful Bundesliga players of all time is a far cry from getting giddy with excitement when The Argus reported Kevin McLeod was on his way from Colchester United.
We’ve come a long way.
