Brighton and Hove Albion broke their club record transfer fee to complete the signing of PSV Eindhoven midfielder Davy Propper, with the Dutch international believed to have cost in the region of £10 million.
The 25-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Seagulls and, upon his arrival at the Amex Stadium, gave an insight as to what we can expect to see from him over the coming season:
“I like to get into the box and score goals. I think that’s one of my strengths and I hope I can continue to do that for Brighton.”
The History
Propper joined his hometown club Vitesse Arnhem at the age of 13 and progressed to make his first-team debut against N.E.C. Nijmegen in January 2010.
He began the 2010/11 season as a regular starter for Vitesse and finished the campaign with three goals and four assists from 29 league outings.
The midfielder remained at Vitesse for a further four seasons and by the time he departed for PSV in the summer of 2015, had racked up 162 appearances for the club in all competitions, registering 21 goals and 18 assists.
Propper enjoyed a hugely impressive first campaign with PSV, producing 10 goals and seven assists in 33 league matches to play his part in a successful title defence.
Last season, the Dutchman again produced some strong individual numbers, totalling six goals and eight assists in 34 league appearances, while he also started in all six of the club’s UEFA Champions League matches.
Having featured for Holland at U18, U19, U20 and U21 levels, Propper was handed his senior debut in a 4-3 friendly defeat to the United States in June 2015 – the first of five international caps to this point.
The Prospects
Having signed Pascal Gross earlier this summer to provide creativity from the No 10 position, it’s likely that Propper will be utilised as a deep-lying playmaker for the Seagulls, although the 25-year-old can also operate slightly further forward.
Propper played the majority of his football last season as the deepest midfield player for PSV, with his passing – one of his major strengths – coming to the fore.
He possesses the quality to play incisive through balls, while also being able to keep things ticking over in the middle of the park.
The Dutchman averaged a key pass every 36.59 minutes last term, with only Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech (105) creating more chances in the Eredivisie than Propper’s 79.
He did trail Gross in that regard though, with the German producing a key pass every 27.9 minutes in the Bundesliga with Ingolstadt.
Propper also threatened opponents, averaging a shot every 40.7 minutes, although only 22 of his 71 shots came from inside the penalty area.
Anthony Knockaert looks likely to produce the greatest goal threat from the Brighton midfield – the right winger averaged a goal attempt every 35.45 minutes last season as he found the back of the net 15 times.
But while Propper has the ability to influence the game in the final third, he is also able to cover the ground required by any top central midfield player and is diligent in his defensive work, averaging a successful tackle every 57.82 minutes.
His grit should be well-suited to English football then, while standing at 6ft 1in tall, he should also be able to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League.
Propper could partner Dale Stephens in the Seagulls’ midfield, with Steve Sidwell and Beram Kayal – now ruled out for three months – the other alternatives. Gross may also be an option to drop slightly deeper if Brighton boss Chris Hughton looks to use Izzy Brown in the support striker role.
Stephens is a natural holding midfielder who could allow Propper more freedom to push forward in order to make the most of his strengths.
With the Dutchman’s impressive goal and assist returns over the past few seasons it is perhaps no surprise to see Propper arrive at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL); the same price as Gross and 0.5 cheaper than Knockaert.
The fact he is likely to have more defensive responsibilities than those two is set to hinder his Fantasy appeal though, particularly as Gross and Knockaert should also share set-piece duties, along with left-back Markus Suttner.
So to take advantage of Brighton’s generally favourable opening schedule (MCI lei wat WBA bou NEW), it’s Gross who looks the safer bet. He’s scored three goals during pre-season, while, for now, Knockaert lacks match fitness after picking up an ankle injury last month. The Frenchman is expected to start on the bench against Man City in Gameweek 1.
But the arrival of Propper should significantly boost the quality of the Brighton midfield, although his late arrival means he may need some extra time to find his feet.
Additionally, given the promise shown by Gross in particular, it may pay to wait and see how much freedom the Dutch international is given to roam forward before considering him as a viable Fantasy alternative.
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