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Brighton & Hove Albion: Graham Potter remains coy on short-term future of Viktor Gyokeres
Following his team’s Carabao Cup victory over Portsmouth last night, Brighton manager Graham Potter addressed questions on the short-term future of Viktor Gyokeres at the Amex Stadium.
The Swedish striker, who has recently been linked with a loan move to Swansea, rounded off the scoring in Albion’s 4-0 win on just his sixth appearance for the club.
When speaking about the Seagulls’ immediate plans for the 22-year-old, Potter said (via Brighton & Hove Independent): “All things are possible. We have to make the right decisions around our squad and I think he can help our group and contribute. He will only get better as a player as well and someone who can help the group.”
Last night, Gyokeres scored his first goal for Brighton on what was his first appearance for the club since February 2019, while he is still awaiting a Premier League debut (as per TransferMarkt). He had a decent spell on loan at St Pauli in Germany’s second tier last season, though, with seven goals and four assists in 28 matches.
The Swedish prospect made a strong case for further Seagulls inclusion after his outing against Portsmouth, getting four shots on target and making three key passes while misplacing only two passes all night (as per Sofascore). His performance drew praise from Brighton & Hove Independent reporter Derren Howard, who wrote that he “worked hard and led the line pretty well and offers Brighton another option”.
The challenge for Gyokeres now is whether he can force his way into Potter’s first team reckoning on a regular basis. Neal Maupay and Aaron Connolly, who scored 14 goals between them last term, are ahead of him in the centre-forward pecking order. However, with Glenn Murray gone on loan to Watford and Florin Andone horrendously injury-prone, the Swede could certainly be a useful squad option if he remains in Sussex.
There is also the matter of what comes of Brighton’s reported interest in Liverpool striker Divock Origi, who is unlikely to be left with a peripheral role if he comes to the Amex given his penchant for scoring in big games.
Gyokeres has certainly done his best to stake a claim for further inclusion at Brighton with an impressive all-round performance against Portsmouth, capped by his 71st-minute goal.
Should Brighton keep Viktor Gyokeres or loan him out again?
Keep
Loan
While a loan move to a Championship club like Swansea could offer him a better chance of regular first team action, Potter doesn’t have a huge depth of centre-forward options and could yet be tempted to keep him at the Amex, especially if Maupay or Connolly were to become unavailable.
However, if Origi or another striker were to come in the door, that could be the spark for the Swedish prospect to go back out on loan.
Brighton fans, can you see Gyokeres having a significant part to play at the Amex this season? Comment below with your views!
