Brighton & Hove Albion Want Star Championship Defender: Should Hughton Go All Out?

Brighton & Hove Albion have seen their bid of £6million for Aden Flint being rejected by Championship outfit, Bristol City, as per one of the latest reports by Daily Mail. The Sun suggests that the Robins value their defensive ace as high as £10million and are understood to be keen to keep him at the Ashton Gate this season as they are very much in the race for promotion to the Premier League.

Flint has been an instrumental figure at the back for Bristol City this season and is arguably one of the finest defenders that the English second division has on offer. So far this season, he has played 24 games for Lee Johnson’s side in the league and has notched up 6 goals and 1 assist. Besides, he has also garnered 0.6 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 6.2 clearances and 1 block per game on an average, which is quite impressive, to say the least.

Chris Hughton has already lured two quality players in Jurgen Locadia and Viktor Gyokeres to his ranks but he is still very much active in the ongoing transfer window to beef up his side further. The Seagulls are just one point above the relegation zone, having collected 23 points from 24 encounters and are currently placed at the 16 spot in the Championship table. They were quite secure at the back initially but cracks have appeared in recent weeks and Hughton cannot afford to overlook them.

It would make perfect sense if Brighton & Hove place a higher bid in pursuance of testing Bristol City’s resolve. Flint is a typical English textbook centre-back who has a daunting physical frame which makes him a useful asset at the back. He is commendable in the air, reads the game well and makes shrewd tackles and interceptions to save the blushes of his side time and again. Besides, he launches forward occasionally to score goals and his tall height gives him an edge during set-pieces.

Although he lacks pace, he ticks most of the boxes of a formidable central defender and no wonder his stocks are so highly rated. The 28-year-old has truckloads of experience under his belt and at this point of his career, he might personally want to taste the lucre and competitiveness of the Premier League. There is still some time left before the transfer window shuts down and it would be intriguing to see whether he eventually moves to Brighton & Hove Albion or not.

Statistics Credits: WhoScored