'Incredible' - Fabian Hurzeler confirms major midfield boost for Brighton ahead of Wolves
Wolves vs Brighton in the Premier League at Molineux Stadium - Sunday, 2pm
Midfield has been a slight problem for Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler this season.
Home grown talent Jack Hinshelwood looks set for at least another six weeks on the sidelines after twisting his ankle at Bournemouth, while Carlos Baleba has struggled for form and fitness.
Former Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley was loaned to Marseille and Facundo Buonanotte is spending the season at Chelsea.
Luckily, Hurzeler has the ever-reliable Yasin Ayari and the emerging talent of Paraguay international Diego Gomez.
Baleba’s dip in form has though been an issue. The Cameroon international sustained a knee injury in pre-season and was then unsettled by speculation linking him with a summer move to Manchester United.
Brighton’s £100m-plus valuation quickly cooled United’s interest but the whole saga clearly impacted Albion’s star man.
Baleba’s substitutions so far
The 21-year-old is yet to complete 90 minutes in the Premier League this term.
He played 69 minutes in the first game of the season against Fulham and was then hooked at halftime in the 2-0 loss at Everton.
An hour was all he could manage in the 2-1 win against Manchester City, before he was dropped to bench at Bournemouth but came on for the last 20 minutes.
The 2-2 draw at Tottenham saw him hauled off at halftime once again as he was "tired" and last Saturday at Chelsea he was replaced on 67 minutes. A total of 310 minutes from six top flight matches.
It's a huge change from last season where Baleba was the main man in Hurzeler's midfield, hence the reason Manchester United wanted to sign him.
Hurzeler: There were a lot of rumours
Hurzeler though remains relaxed about the situation and is confident he can get Baleba fit and firing once again.
His performance in last Saturday’s 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge was more reminiscent of his displays last term, which bodes well for this Sunday at Wolves.
Hurzeler, speaking to TalkSport, said: "I am confident that we will get the best from him.
"He needs time he's a young boy. His development in the last year was incredible.
“Maybe it went too fast and there were a lot of rumours about him because he played an incredible season.
“I also try to stay humble with the players because in young players it is normal that there are waves. The only way to get out is to keep working hard.
“Try to use every training session and get the most minutes on the pitch. I saw a better Carlos Baleba at Chelsea. I'm quite convinced he will be there soon."
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