Brajan Gruda has a £30m problem at Brighton after Newcastle United transfer decision

It's fair to say just two of Brighton’s six major summer signings have made fast starts to their Albion careers.

Georginio Rutter, a record-breaking £40m arrival from Leeds United, has impressed in the No 10 role with eight goals and five assists in all competitions so far.

The £30m signing of Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle United has also provided an explosive dimension down the right flank, with the Gambian flyer contributing six goals and four assists to date.

Both are favourites with fans and the £70m duo will have key roles to play between now and the end of the season as seventh-placed Seagulls chase Champions League qualification.

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Four more players joined for significant fees in the summer window with Mats Wieffer, Ferdi Kadioglu, Matt O'Riley and Brajan Gruda coming in for a combined total of just over £100m.

£100m injury issues

Wieffer has suffered from niggling injuries and struggled early on but the Dutch international looks fit and healthy once more and set for a strong finish to the campaign.

Turkey international Kadioglu showed early promise, then sustained a toe injury that required surgery and has not featured since.

The unfortunate O'Riley was clattered just minutes into his debut – which required ankle surgery – and the former Celtic man has struggled to get up to speed since. The fine form of Georginio has also kept O'Riley on the sidelines.

Gruda has also struggled to establish himself in Fabian Hurzeler's first team as the £25m signing from Mainz adapts to the demands of Premier League football.

Of all the expensive signings last summer, Gruda, 20, was always likely to be a longer term project.

Rutter and Minteh had a period of adaptation but pretty much looked oven-ready from the start, while Kadioglu, Wieffer and O'Riley have performed consistently elsewhere at a high level for the past two seasons and are established internationals.

What has been the problem for Gruda

Gruda, by contrast, made just 30 Bundesliga appearances for Mainz, with a decent return of four goals and three assists for the German outfit, for his big money move.

The Germany under-21 international arrived injured and didn't make his first Premier League appearance until October, as a late substitute in the 3-2 win against Tottenham at the Amex Stadium.

A few more sporadic substitute outings followed and his first start didn't arrive until late December as he played 68 minutes in the 1-1 draw at West Ham. His four other top flight starts were against Brentford, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Everton.

Gruda has struggled for game time since then with just 18 minutes in the last six matches against Southampton and Manchester City.

It's often easy in football to under-estimate the challenges a 20-year-old faces when moving to a new country, with a new language and then adapt to one of the most demanding leagues in world football.

Gruda, who scored for Germany under-21s in the 1-0 win against Slovakia last week, has admitted he has found it challenging.

“[In Mainz], I was always with my family,” he yesterday to Kicker. “Going to England, a country where the language is not my mother tongue, and living alone was difficult at the beginning."

His potential is clear and given another season you would back German head coach Hurzeler to get the best from him.

Yankuba Minteh is just too good

The obvious problem Gruda faces is that Minteh – who operates in the same right wing position – is currently better than him.

Minteh is physically in great shape, he is scoring, assisting and carrying out his defensive duties to the letter. The former Newcastle man is at the moment impossible to drop and Gruda simply has to be patient. The young German could still have a key role to play this season but most likely Brighton fans will see them best of him next term.

Hurzeler is a huge fan of Gruda and previously describe him as a "special talent".

“He has amazing skills with the ball,” said the 32-year-old Albion head coach. “He’s like a boy from the street, as we say in German. He likes to dribble, to have the ball at his feet. He can do special things.”

Gruda, like Kadioglu, Wieffer and O'Riley, have had a frustrating season. The £100m spend has not yet gone to plan but there's still time for it to come good.

For your next Albion read: What Brighton must do in 2025 summer window to secure Champions League next season