From finishing 91st in the English league pyramid way back in 1997 to carving a promotion to the Premier League, Brighton & Hove Albion have indeed come a long way. The scenes in and around the Falmer Stadium is a riveting one, and quite rightly so, for the Albion faithful have innumerable reasons to be proud of their side.
Despite failing to clinch the Championship silverware, Chris Hughton masterminded a stupendous season for the Seagulls by making shrewd use of the resources he had at his disposal. To be playing against the elite clubs of the country next season (courtesy of bagging an automatic promotion spot) is a galvanising achievement, but the animosity they would have to endure is humungous.
Hughton isn’t unfamiliar with how things work out in the English top flight and it goes without saying that they would have to beef up their squad over the course of the summer transfer window. The former Norwich City manager must have already started to do the necessary chores behind the scenes and one of the players to have fallen on his radar is Liverpool’s youngster Joe Gomez.
Having emerged through the youth ranks of Charlton Athletic, Gomez seamlessly penetrated into the senior side of the Addicks and was eventually lured to Anfield in 2015. However, a knee injury hindered his progress and the 20-year-old was handed merely 3 appearances in the FA Cup by Jurgen Klopp and accumulated nothing under his belt as far as gaining Premier League experience is concerned.
The Reds already have the likes of Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan in his arsenal for catering to his outfit’s central defensive needs and with the likelihood of Virgil van Dijk’s move to Liverpool from Southampton, Gomez will be pushed further below in the pecking order. The England U21 international is at that point of his career where he should eye for regular first-team opportunities, and thus, he is likely to look for an exit in the summer.
Gomez is a blossoming defender who can ply his trade in the central defensive slot as well as on both the fullback positions. Besides, he is good in the air, is well built, doesn’t refrain from getting into tight areas and has stamina and pace on offer as well. A move to Brighton & Hove Albion would make perfect sense and without any shadow of a doubt, Gomez can aid the East Sussex-based club in making them stay away from the relegation dogfight.
