Brighton and Hove Albion stepped up their summer recruitment drive with the signing of Austrian left-back Markus Suttner from German side FC Ingolstadt 04 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be worth £3.8 million.
The 30-year-old agreed a three-year deal, with Seagulls boss Chris Hughton delighted to secure the services of one of his long-term targets:
“Markus is someone we have been aware of for some time, and I am pleased we have managed to complete the transfer… He has a great level of experience internationally, and in the top divisions in both his native Austria and Germany, where he has played the last two seasons with Ingolstadt, and that experience will serve us well. He will add competition at the back on the left side of defence, and I’m now looking forward to working with him.”
The History
Suttner came through the ranks at Austria Vienna to make his professional debut in October 2008.
He quickly established himself as the first-choice left-back and enjoyed a successful seven-year spell, which included winning the Austrian Cup in 2009 and a league title in 2012/13.
The defender made 260 appearances in all competitions during his time with the club, registering nine goals and 35 assists.
Suttner made the move to Ingolstadt in the summer of 2015 and featured 18 times in the Bundesliga during the 2015/16 campaign, although he failed to produce any goals or assists.
But he enjoyed a far more successful campaign last season, personally at least, totalling four goals and five assists from 31 appearances despite Ingolstadt suffering relegation.
Suttner represented Austria at U19 and U20 levels, making seven appearances, before making his senior debut in a 3-1 friendly victory over Finland in February 2012.
He played 20 times for his country before announcing his international retirement earlier this year.
The Prospects
With Gaeten Bong and West Bromwich Albion loanee Sebastien Pocognoli job sharing at left-back position last season, the addition of the experienced Suttner looks a shrewd piece of business by Hughton.
The 30-year-old was part of the Ingolstadt side, alongside fellow summer arrival Pascal Gross, that managed to survive in their first season in the Bundesliga in 2015/16, eventually finishing 11th. Brighton will hope he can share some of those positive experiences over the next nine months.
Suttner’s strengths mainly lie in his attacking threat, with the Austrian a set-piece specialist, something he alluded to when joining the newly promoted side:
“Last season with Ingolstadt we played with a five-man defence. Now we will play with four in the defence so I think I can’t go forward as much, but when I am there I want to score or make a cross and I hope I can help with my set-pieces.”
He will certainly add to the potency of the Seagulls’ attack, although much will depend on how much freedom he is given by Hughton to push forward down the left flank and whether he can wrestle set-piece duties away from Anthony Knockaert.
Suttner is also a competent defender and is reasonably strong in the air for a full-back, standing at 5ft 10in tall.
Looking at his underlying statistics from last season, he averaged a shot every 63.65 minutes and produced a key pass every 51.64.
Those are very impressive statistics, bearing in mind that Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso averaged a goal attempt every 58.57 minutes and could only create a chance every 112.25 minutes last term.
In terms of Suttner’s bonus point potential, he averaged a clearance, block or interception (CBI) every 16.90 minutes amassing an impressive 92 interceptions.
While centre-back Lewis Dunk is expected to be a Bonus Points System (BPS) darling, having averaged a CBI every 7.73 minutes last season, Suttner’s numbers are reasonable for a full-back and, alongside his attacking threat, offer promise regarding his Fantasy potential.
Despite Suttner’s production last term, he arrived in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) on Monday priced at £4.5m, while over in Sky Sports, he is valued at 5.7, some 1.1 cheaper than Dunk.
That should certainly put Sky managers on alert, while in FPL, Suttner deserves to be considered as an alternative to the identically-priced Dunk.
Hughton’s side were resilient last season, keeping 21 clean sheets. That included 12 at at the Amex Stadium with just 14 goals conceded – a Championship record.
The Seagulls’ early schedule is favourable following their opening weekend visit from Manchester City (lei wat WBA bou NEW). Their home matches certainly catch the eye with West Brom, Newcastle United, Everton, Southampton, Stoke City and Crystal Palace the next six to follow City.
Dunk’s CBI numbers, goal threat from set-plays and 4.5 price tag means he remains the key defensive target to exploit that run. However, Suttner, as a forward-thinking full-back with set-piece duties cannot be overlooked.
Pre-season will be vital in establishing his placing in the pecking order for free-kick duties. Once we are clear on that, we will have a better indication of Suttner’s potential to rival Dunk for our affections.
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