Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly lining up a bid for Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko in January, as head coach Roberto de Zerbi prepares for his first transfer window in charge.
The south coast club have money to spend during the winter window after selling full-back Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for £62m in the summer. And now with a new manager at the helm and doing well, the Seagulls would be inclined to back him.
According to The Athletic, talks between Brighton and Shakhtar Donetsk over a deal for Mykola Matviyenko are underway, with the Premier League club preparing a bid of around £17.2million to sign him in January.
A product of the FC Shakhtar Donetsk youth academy, Matviyenko, 26, enjoyed his breakthrough in the senior team during the 2018/19 campaign after enjoying fruitful loan spells with Karpaty Lviv and Vorskla Poltava. The Ukrainian international has racked up close to 150 appearances for Shakhtar, scoring six goals.
Having worked under Roberto de Zerbi for over a year at Shakhtar, Matviyenko could potentially become Brighton’s second January recruit after the capture of 17-year-old attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte from Rosario Central, with the teenager’s signing set to become official on New Year’s Day, the report adds.
Mykola Matviyenko to Brighton—A solid option for the Seagulls?
Roberto de Zerbi will be keen to reshape the squad to his liking after the exit of Graham Potter, and Brighton will be lifted by the fact that they went into the World Cup break seventh in the table, despite losing 2-1 to Aston Villa at home.
19 goals conceded in 14 games isn’t alarming but De Zerbi would feel there is room for improvement in defence. The Italian tactician wants to play a possession-based, attacking brand of football at Brighton, and will look to bring in players he trusts in his first transfer window to continue the club’s rebuilding process, at least.
In Mykola Matviyenko, the Seagulls boss would find a player he trusts having coached him last season at Shakhtar Donetsk. Matviyenko, who can operate at centre-back and left-back, would compete with the likes of Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman for a spot in the team. Due to his versatility, De Zerbi could use him as a left wing-back when required and push Leandro Trossard higher up the pitch.
The Ukrainian defender is having a good season as Shakhtar are unbeaten in the league and lie second in the table, five points behind league leaders Dnipro but with a game in hand. Keeping his performances in mind and his previous working relationship with De Zerbi, Brighton are moving on the right track of signing Matviyenko.
One can expect Mykola Matviyenko to inject more quality into De Zerbi’s first XI, whilst improving the depth of the squad. At 26, the centre-back’s best years are ahead of him which makes him a smart player for the Seagulls to pursue in the New Year.
