Although Brighton and Hove Albion’s pursuit of Nicolas Gonzalez is expected to end in disappointment, it demonstrates the strength of their desire to bolster their attacking options this summer.
Argentinian links with Fiorentina have persuaded Gonzalez to join the Serie A side instead after both clubs submitted package deals worth around £23 million.
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An initial fee in the region of the club-record £20 million Brighton spent on former Bristol City central defender Adam Webster two summers ago is an indication of the club’s intent as they wrestle with a complicated picture in forward areas.
Gonzalez has chosen the Stadio Artemio Franchi over the Amex Stadium to join forces with Argentinian Copa America squad colleagues Lucas Martinez Quarta and German Pezzella.
There is a historical pull as well for the 23-year-old, overriding the absence of a manager at the Florence club after Gennaro Gattuso lasted 23 days in charge — a lifetime compared to how quickly Gattuso was targeted and ruled out by Tottenham. Argentina’s 1978 World Cup-winning captain Daniel Passarella and 1990s marksman Gabriel Batistuta, their record scorer until he was eclipsed by Lionel Messis in 2016, are former luminaries of Fiorentina.
Brighton’s recruitment team, overseen by Dan Ashworth, will not be panicking. They no longer have one outstanding target for different positions. That tended to be the case before Paul Winstanley succeeded David Burke as head of recruitment in December 2014.
They work on clusters of targets of comparable standard and will move on swiftly from Gonzalez, which has coincided with a setback to their plans to offload Jurgen Locadia.
FC Cincinnati are not exercising their loan-to-buy option after borrowing the Dutchman in February 2020.
Two goals in 23 league appearances amount to a discouraging return for a salary of more than £40,000 a week. Locadia is just outside the top 10 wage-earners in MLS. General manager Gerard Nijkamp has indicated Cincinnati are prepared to renegotiate, which could suit all parties.
Locadia, bought from PSV Eindhoven for £14 million in January 2018, has a year left on his contract. Brighton will have to swallow a substantial loss to remove him from the wage bill.
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So where do Brighton stand with the rest of their attacking armoury? Danny Welbeck’s contract expires at the end of the month. It remains unclear whether the former England, Arsenal and Manchester United forward will re-sign or go elsewhere.
Florin Andone’s future is also uncertain. The combative Romanian returned to contention at the end of last season after two serious knee injuries during a loan spell at Galatasaray.
Andone, 28, hasn’t played for Brighton since a first-half red card in a 2-0 home defeat against Southampton at the start of Graham Potter’s reign as head coach in August 2019.
That didn’t go down well. There could be a route back for Andone if he proves his fitness and impresses once the players not involved in tournaments with their countries report back in the second week of July, although Potter already has one tempestuous forward.
Frenchman Neal Maupay, leading marksman with 10 and eight goals in each of Potter’s seasons in charge, was suspended for the final three matches following a foul-mouthed confrontation with referee Jon Moss at the end of the 2-1 defeat at Wolves in May.
If Maupay can channel the aggressive edge to his game that he thrives on in the right direction, he will be a key and regular option once more.
Potter relied primarily at the sharp end last season on Maupay (33 Premier League appearances), Leandro Trossard (35 games) and Welbeck (24).
Trossard could get his first start for Belgium at Euro 2020 in Monday night’s final group game against Finland in Saint Petersburg, as they have already qualified for the last 16. If Roberto Martinez’s side go deep into the tournament, that will be good for the versatile Trossard, although not necessarily good for Brighton from a fatigue perspective.
Iranian winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh and South African star Percy Tau were mainly on the fringes of selection last season. It’s still early days for Tau but not for Jahanbakhsh. Brighton currently have no plans to move either player on, although it hasn’t been ruled out.
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So much for the established players — what about the younger options in Potter’s squad?
Aaron Connolly has made more headlines off the pitch than on it in recent months after a breakthrough season in 2019-20. The Republic of Ireland prospect is still only 21, with plenty of potential if he knuckles down and can steer clear of the niggling injuries that have interrupted his progress so far.
Andi Zeqiri, also 21, is capable of building on the promise he showed in a variety of positions after arriving from Lausanne in October. He will be boosted by his inclusion in Switzerland’s provisional squad for Euro 2020, although he missed out in the final cut.
Beneath first-team level, Brighton have a couple of attackers with bright futures. Reda Khadra, 19, had a perky cameo on the right wing as a late substitute in the 1-0 defeat at Manchester City in January before injury cut short his campaign with the under-23s the following month.
Ryan Longman, 20, is attracting interest from Championship and League One clubs after impressing on loan to AFC Wimbledon in the third-tier last season.
More immediately, Brighton have a lot of work to do in assembling their forward options for the Premier League but it’s still early days in the transfer window.
(Photos: Getty Images)
