Pascal Gross is enjoying his best scoring season in the Premier League since his debut season for Brighton and Hove Albion back in 2017/18. The German has been influential for every manager he has played under on the south coast, so let’s take a look at what makes him ‘The £3m bargain.’
The Albion signed Gross following an impressive season in the German Bundesliga for Ingolstadt, where he racked up five goals and four assists as they finished 17th and faced relegation. The midfielder was a shining light in their side and was snapped up by then manager Chris Hughton, who moved to sign him as the club’s first signing as a Premier League club, following their promotion from the Championship, finishing second behind Newcastle United.
Despite numerous fans commenting on social media, deeming him “too slow” and “not good enough for Graham Potter or Roberto De Zerbi’s system”, Gross has continued to prove doubters wrong. He has accumulated 168 Premier League appearances, 22 goals and 29 assists since his debut in 2017 against Man City.
He is enjoying his best scoring season since that one in 2017/18, where he managed seven goals and eight assists as Brighton stayed up with three games to play. They beat Manchester United 1-0 at the Amex Stadium as Gross’ 57th minute goal was enough for them to secure safety.
The 31-year-old has scored five goals in 13 games this season and also contributed two assists. It is even more impressive when you mention he has played right-back for the last two games following Joel Veltman’s injury and Tariq Lamptey’s full match fitness not quite there yet.
Gross’ importance was emphasised on Saturday, where he scored the winner away at ten-man Wolves to secure De Zerbi his second victory in as many games. He began the game at right-back and played high, with Solly March dropping deeper at times to receive the ball. After Nelson Semedo had been sent off for hauling down the impressive Kaoru Mitoma, Gross had an even more influential role to play. After half time, De Zerbi deployed Gross as an inverted full back, taking up a more central position to allow Brighton to keep the ball.
As we can see, from his average position, the German is above the halfway line more often than not. Brighton weren’t at their best in the second half but they kept the ball to pin Wolves back for the majority of the half. They had to be careful though, with the hosts looking to break quickly with the pace of Adama Traore, Gonçalo Guedes & Hwang Hee-Chan.
Towards the end of the half, when Danny Welbeck entered the pitch for Adam Lallana, Gross moved to play in the 10 role. This ultimately results in his goal, after good work from Mitoma on the wing. The ball falls to Gross outside the six yard box, and he emphatically finishes into the top right corner to gift the Seagulls another three points.
Gross is proving his importance to De Zerbi’s ‘idea’, understanding his systems and being flexible when it is changed.
The midfielder’s impressive Premier League career has yielded 22 goals and 29 assists, which puts him second to Arsenal legend Mesut Özil. He has a long way to go to catch him, but what is certain is that Pascal Gross is a Brighton legend, and more importantly, the £3m bargain.
JG Writes 