Brighton and Hove Albion made their first move in the summer transfer market late last month with the acquisition of playmaker Pascal Gross from German outfit FC Ingolstadt 04 for an undisclosed fee.
The 25-year-old arrives at the Amex Stadium on a four-year deal and, according to manager Chris Hughton, had no shortage of suitors to choose from:
“We are delighted that Pascal has opted to sign for us, amid interest from a number of clubs from the Premier League and across Europe, and I am pleased to welcome him to the club. He offers something different to our existing midfielders, as an attacking midfielder in a more advanced position, operating behind the forward line; he will give us a different and new option going into the new season.”
The History
Gross joined the youth set-up at 1899 Hoffenheim as a 17-year-old back in 2008.
After managing a mere five first-team appearances in three seasons, he made his way to second-tier outfit Karlsruhe, where he quickly established himself as a regular.
Three goals and a pair of assists in 24 first-team appearances earned Gross a move to Ingolstadt in the summer of 2012 but he struggled to make his presence felt, providing just four goals and five assists in 59 appearances over his first two seasons.
The 2014/15 campaign proved a pivotal one for player and club alike, as Gross steered Ingolstadt into the Bundesliga on the back of seven goals and 23 assists in 34 appearances.
A quick glance at his output – one goal and four assists in 2015/16, followed by five goals and four assists last term – suggests that Gross struggled to adjust to the step up, yet the underlying numbers shed far more light on his abilities.
In each of his two seasons in the Bundesliga, Gross created more scoring chances (95 and 98) than any player, which is all the more impressive bearing in mind that Ingolstadt suffered the ignominy of relegation in 2016/17.
On the international scene, he turned out for the Germany U18 and U19 sides on a total of 12 occasions, scoring twice.
The Prospects
As mentioned in our article on Brighton’s promoted squad, Hughton mainly utilised a 4-4-2 set-up last season but the Seagulls boss has conceded that he’s already eyeing up a one-man frontline in a bid to tighten up in the top-flight:
“I think it’s difficult to go through a season playing 4-4-2, particularly as a new club. Leicester play it generally, but they are more established. I would see myself at times playing it, but also very much a 4-4-1-1.”
Although he’s versatile enough to play on either flank and in a central midfield berth, Hughton’s words suggest it is far more likely that Gross has been purchased to take up the role in “the hole” behind a lone striker.
Crucially from a Fantasy perspective, the new boy’s exceptional delivery means that he is favourite be handed set-piece duties, while Gross has also shown in the past that he’s more than capable of tucking away spot-kicks, too.
In terms of creativity, his minutes per key pass – 29.8 in 2015/16 and 27.9 last season – are hugely impressive and far superior to new team-mate Anthony Knockaert. Indeed, that puts Gross just ahead of big-hitters Kevin De Bruyne (28), Christian Eriksen (28.3) and Mesut Ozil (28.5) in the previous domestic campaign.
Last season’s Championship Player of the Year, Seagulls right winger Knockaert – who racked up 15 goals and eight assists from his role on the right – is likely to garner some pre-season attention. Yet an average of 40.5 minutes per key pass in 2016/17 underlines just why Hughton has looked to boost his creative options. All the more so when you consider that fellow wide man Jiri Skalak was second for key passes, providing 39 in 31 outings.
Likely to come in around the 5.5 mark in Fantasy Premier League, Gross certainly has the quality to emerge as a creative force to be reckoned with for Hughton’s side.
But six goals from 121 efforts on goal over his two years in the Bundesliga is a concern, particularly as 87 of those arrived from outside the box, underlining his penchant for long-range efforts.
But if he can settle in quickly and offer a favourable opening set of fixtures, Gross has the quality to rival Knockaert as the man most likely among the promoted contingent.
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