Mitoma’s impact has Brighton fans dreaming of a European finish

 

It's difficult to look at Brighton and not be impressed with their work following their promotion to the Premier League back in 2017. Chris Hughton worked wonders to get the Seagulls into England's top tier, before Graham Potter really established the south coast side as a Premier League outfit. Following Potter's departure in September, Roberto De Zerbi took over the reins at the AMEX and they continue to go from strength-to-strength. 

 

Brighton play exciting, attacking football, that has become progressively more effective in recent seasons. There were issues with underperformance in front of goal, but De Zerbi looks to have ironed out these problems, as noted in that Brighton have scored 32 league goals this term, the same as third-placed Newcastle and five more than Manchester United in fourth. 

 

What is most envious about Brighton is their model of spending and investment. The aim is to scout the right players to fit the right system, but to avoid the big name stars. After all, they can't afford to compete with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City financially, so they need to be frugal in the market and wait for their time to strike. It's for that reason that Enock Mwepu remains their club record signing, though he unfortunately had to retire in October at the age of 24 after being diagnosed with a rare hereditary heart condition. 

 

There is the odd misshap in the market, as noted by big money arrivals Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jurgen Locadia, two players who struggled to make an impact in England, yet they have been able to sell high to Premier League rivals in the last two years, making huge profits on Marc Cucurella and Ben White following their moves to Chelsea and Arsenal, respectively. 

 

Yet those who have remained on the south coast have continued to shine, as noted in that they currently sit eighth, just one point off Liverpool in sixth. The performances of Cucurella for Chelsea and, to a lesser extent, Yves Bissouma at Tottenham, shows that the grass is not always greener for those seeking high profile moves. Alexis Mac Allister should take note, and so too should Kaoru Mitoma, to a lesser extent anyway. 

 

 

Arsenal fans were left raving about Mitoma following his performance in the Gunners' 4-2 win over Brighton on New Year's Eve, where the Japan international netted in the second half and saw a second late on ruled out by VAR for offside. Mitoma is another success story of Brighton's scouting department, the 25-year-old joining from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 before moving to Union St. Gilloise on a season-long loan, following a similar path to Brighton as Deniz Undav, the German joining the Seagulls 12 months ago and remaining on loan with the Belgian side. 

 

Mitoma scored seven goals and provided three assists in the 2021/22 Jupiler Pro League, yet it wasn't until October that the Japanese winger started to establish himself as a first team regular for Brighton. The winger made the odd sub appearance under Potter and then De Zerbi, but Mitoma didn't start a first premier League game until Brighton's 4-1 win over Chelsea. Both he and Brighton haven't looked back since. 

 

Mitoma provided the assist for Leandro Trossard's opener, and across his five league starts in total, he has been directly involved in four goals, netting three times. At the time of writing, Mitoma is Brighton's fourth top scorer in the Premier League, and has proven a breath of fresh air in the Seagulls setup. Indeed, of the 135 players to muster 10 or more shots in the Premier League this season, Mitoma's conversion rate of 30% is the sixth best. 

 

In addition, a return of 2.2 dribbles per 90 ranks third of those to have featured in more than 10 2022/23 Premier League games. A winger who is able to get the better of an opponent and with a decent end product... any top team would be fortunate to have such a player. What's proven crucial, though, is that Mitoma works hard for the team to ensure Brighton aren't overwhelmed by opponents. 

 

The winger could easily be dubbed a luxury player given his attacking approach, yet his work rate is another reason why he has qucikly risen to prominence as both a fan favourite for Brighton, and a key man for De Zerbi's side. A return of 2.5 tackles per 90 ranks 47th in England's top tier, and a better return than the likes of Fabinho, Jorginho (both 2.4) and Declan Rice (2.3), three traditional ball winners in the middle of the park. 

 

Considering De Zerbi's management style, Brighton were always going to be exiciting to watch once he took charge, yet few at the club could have foreseen Mitoma having such an impact for the Seagulls under the Italian. Now, he's one of the first names on the team sheet in what should prove an exciting second half to the season for Brighton.

Mitoma’s impact has Brighton fans dreaming of a European finish