Don't be disappointed with a quiet January Brighton fans - Scott McCarthy

It's a strange feeling, coming into a January transfer window and not thinking that Brighton & Hove Albion desperately require reinforcements to boost their season.
Brighton celebrate a goal at West Ham. Picture by PW Sporting PhotographyBrighton celebrate a goal at West Ham. Picture by PW Sporting Photography
Brighton celebrate a goal at West Ham. Picture by PW Sporting Photography

Even when the side were sauntering towards promotion from the Championship in the 2016/17 season, it still felt like we needed a couple of new faces to boost the Seagulls’ chances of playing top-flight football for the first time in 34 years.

That year, we looked a little short of defensive cover and had just Glenn Murray, Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock as senior strikers. As a result, Chris Hughton brought in Fikayo Tomori who looked a decent prospect on the rare occasions he played and Chuba Akpom who, well, they could have stuck me on a six-month contract and I’d have been more effective than him.

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It says much then for Hughton and the recruitment team’s work in building a Premier League squad that it is difficult to see how the side could be improved in the next month.

Since decimalisation, the Albion have needed a striker in every transfer window but remarkably the need seems less pressing than ever. Hughton only plays one up front and as long as Murray and Florin Andone are fit and firing, that’s sorted.

Jurgen Locadia has picked a good time to hit goalscoring form as he might have been vulnerable to being shipped out when he was heading over an open goal from six yards out at Burnley less than a month ago, but all the time he is finding himself in the right places at the right times to score, he’s going to stay in the side.

In midfield, there is genuine competition between the four central players for the first time in a couple of seasons. Even the undroppable Dale Stephens has been dropped. At the back, Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy are clearly first choices, Leon Balogun has had the odd hairy moment but looks good backup and Dan Burn has just arrived after six months on-loan at Wigan Athletic.

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Martin Montoya and Bernardo now look to be Hughton’s number one full-backs, which means last season’s first choices Bruno and Gaetan Bong are providing the back-up and Maty Ryan might be missing for a month but David Button had an impressive debut deputising against Everton. And even if the former-Fulham man throws in a couple of clangers, the Albion could surely recall Christian Walton from his loan spell with Wigan to fill the void.

There are probably only two positions in which reinforcements might be needed. One is out wide, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh something of a disappointment so far, Anthony Knockaert now down the pecking order to the point where Locadia has been converted into a winger and Jose Izquierdo struggling with injury.

The other is up front – but only if the right player becomes available. At 35, Murray isn’t going to be able to carry on forever and if for some reason a like-for-like replacement became available this month, then Hughton should grab the opportunity to sign him with both hands. That seems unlikely though – we’ve spent every window since Murray first left the club in the summer of 2011 trying to replace him, and only managed to do so by re-signing Murray himself. Players like that don’t grow on trees.

So, don’t be too disappointed if it is a quiet January for the Albion. We’re on course for a best-ever top-flight finish and the summer will be the time to strengthen for – gulp – a push for the top ten next year.

What a fantastic time to be a Brighton fan.

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