Pascal Gross becomes the fifth, and final, midfielder to make an appearance in our Team of the Season after earning 6.94% backing in the recent poll.
The playmaker arrived at promoted Brighton from German outfit Ingolstadt 04 last summer with a highly impressive reputation.
Despite playing in a struggling side, Gross was the number one player in the Bundesliga for key passes in both 2015/16 and 2016/17, with 95 and 98 respectively.
Handed a central support role in a 4-4-1-1 set-up under Chris Hughton, Gross started the season at a bargain £5.5m in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
After opening with three straight blanks, the playmaker signposted his Fantasy potential with an 18-point haul at home to West Brom in Gameweek 4, claiming two goals and an assist.
That was one of four double-digit returns over the season, as Gross went on to total seven goals, eight assists and 24 bonus points for the Seagulls.
With a total of 164 points, the summer signing was second only to Mohamed Salah for value among all outfield players in terms of points per million, by 27.8 to 28.6.
The sixth most bought midfielder (2.55m+) in FPL, Gross defied the conventional wisdom that new signings from overseas – particularly those in promoted teams – are best given a wide berth from the get-go.
A total of 82 key passes, just one less than Fantasy royalty Eden Hazard, helped Gross claim sixth spot as the top creator last season.
As many as 36 of those chances created were from set-pieces – more than any other player in the top-flight.
Meanwhile, only Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne was more influential when it came to creating big chances, by 19 to 16.
It’s fair to say that Gross’ impact on Hughton’s side was a significant one, then.
The midfielder played a part in 44% of Brighton’s goals in 2017/18, with his output at the Amex Stadium particularly vital – Gross was involved in 54% of their home efforts.
The Prospects
After such an impressive season, a price rise is inevitable.
A cost of around £7.0m in FPL looks on the cards, though Gross’ ability to deliver points in a struggling side – akin to Gylfi Sigurdsson at Swansea – means he will still be a factor in our seasons.
Regardless of a move into the mid-price bracket, he can still be worth the outlay – after all, each of the ten midfielders to surpass his 164 points started at £8.0m or over last time out.
Gross could also be boosted by penalty duties in 2018/19.
A converted spot-kick against Spurs in their second match of Double Gameweek 34 suggests he may now be ahead of Glenn Murray in the pecking order after the latter failed on a couple of occasions.
Given that Brighton had seven penalties last season – Murray scored four and missed two – that could be a major weapon in Gross’ armoury.
Only three teams were awarded more spot-kicks than Hughton’s men.
The lack of a summer World Cup will also ensure that the Brighton playmaker will be fully fresh come the start of the new season on August 11.
The same cannot be said for team-mate Jose Izquierdo, who is set to feature with Columbia in Russia 2018.
Nonetheless, the winger’s second half to the 2017/18 campaign suggests he could now rival Gross as a source of Fantasy returns – Izquierdo trailed Gross by just three points (66 to 69) from Gameweek 20 onwards.
Given that he finished on 101 points, the Columbian is likely to retain his cost of £6.0m and could appeal as a cheaper option.
5 years, 10 months ago
What's that on Gross's knee?