What to do about Joao Pedro…

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It is tempting to wonder whether Brighton & Hove Albion need the hassle that comes with Joao Pedro after ending an encouraging first season under head coach Fabian Hurzeler with a 4-1 win at new Europa League champions Tottenham Hotspur.

And yet the Brazilian forward’s absence from their storming comeback on Sunday raised more questions than answers about his future at the club.

Joao Pedro was also left out of the previous game, a 3-2 home defeat of title winners Liverpool, by Hurzeler for disciplinary reasons following an altercation in training with team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke revealed last week by The Athletic.

Against Tottenham, Hurzeler deployed Jack Hinshelwood and Brajan Gruda as twin false nines, with Danny Welbeck joining Georginio Rutter (ankle) on the injured list because of an unspecified minor issue, while Julio Enciso (Ipswich Town) and Evan Ferguson (West Ham United) completed loan spells elsewhere in the day’s closing fixtures in the Premier League.

Hinshelwood, Brighton’s late matchwinner from the bench against Liverpool last Monday, scored with two close-range finishes from corners in the 51st and 64th minutes, the first a shot into the roof of the net, the second an impudent backheel.

The depth of the squad was further highlighted by further goals from substitutes in the closing stages. Matt O’Riley acted successfully as third-choice penalty taker in the absence of both Joao Pedro and Welbeck, while Diego Gomez stylishly curled in his first goal for the club from 25 yards in added time, following the Paraguay midfielder’s move from MLS side Inter Miami in January.

So, where does this all leave Joao Pedro?

He was a candidate to attract transfer interest in the looming summer window before the spat with Van Hecke. A volatile temperament is unlikely to deter potential suitors from pursuing a proven Premier League goalscorer who, at age 23, still has scope for improvement.

There were mixed messages from Hurzeler in his pre-game press conference on Friday. Playing down the incident as a “small issue” of the type that “isn’t uncommon from time to time at all clubs”, he said the matter had been dealt with internally and “is closed”.

Hurzeler also confirmed Joao Pedro would not be involved against Tottenham.

A two-match disciplinary punishment for a key player when Brighton were pursuing Europe in the season’s final week (finishing eighth was not enough for them to reach the Conference League) seems severe if that incident with Van Hecke was as trivial and routine as the head coach implied.

Selling Joao Pedro if a big offer materialises and reinvesting funds could be tempting (Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

Hurzeler also spoke of Joao Pedro being an “incredible footballer” who is still young and can learn from the incident, but mentioned in the same breath principles that are “non-negotiable”, with no room for compromise.

One of the biggest strengths of Brighton’s player recruitment strategy is not just identifying targets they can develop to increase their value but also knowing the right time to sell those they do sign. Joao Pedro has three years left on his contract. An offer, for argument’s sake, which doubles the £30million investment Brighton made when buying him from Championship side Watford two years ago would demand attention and give the club a decision to make.

The biggest problem if they part company with Joao Pedro this summer would be replacing his goals. He has scored 30 of Brighton’s 157 across all competitions over the past two seasons in his 70 appearances. That is a personal average of a goal every 2.3 games, while almost 20 per cent of the goals scored by the team is a big chunk as an overall contribution from one player. He has also provided 10 assists, which comes out as a goal involvement every 1.75 matches.

On top of that, Brighton would be losing an expert at penalties. Half of Joao Pedro’s goals have come from the spot. His only failure in 16 attempts still led to him heading the only goal of the game from the rebound following a save by Aston Villa’s Robin Olsen towards the end of last season. He has also won nine penalties.

Another of his attributes is his versatility. He can operate as a No 9, although he is more effective as a roaming No 10, with a tendency to drop deep and wide at times to get on the ball to link the play or embark on a weaving run.

So much for the good stuff.

The downside has been highlighted by the clash with Van Hecke, Brighton’s player of the season. Joao Pedro was regarded as the aggressor in the incident by Hurzeler, and while he was left out of the past two matches, Van Hecke played a full part in both.

Joao Pedro’s volatility can be a liability.

The incident with Van Hecke happened in the build-up to the 2-0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Brighton’s penultimate away game of the season, a fixture which marked the completion of a three-match suspension for the South American.

He had been sent off for violent conduct in a 4-2 defeat at Brentford last month for lashing out at opposition defender Nathan Collins. Considering the circumstances — Brighton were losing 3-1 to a direct rival for European qualification, but there was half an hour of the match still to play — Joao Pedro losing his head did not go down well with team-mates or Hurzeler.

The head coach places great importance on togetherness and squad harmony. Anybody who disrupts that mantra with their behaviour will not be tolerated. Enciso was shipped out on loan in January after the Paraguayan had been omitted from the squad for two matches the previous month. That was because of Enciso’s “mindset in training” and because he is more of an individual than a team player.

The front line has already been added to for next season with the signing in January of 19-year-old Greek prospect Stefanos Tzimas — he was loaned straight back to selling club Nurnberg, in Germany’s second tier, for the rest of the campaign.

Selling Joao Pedro if a big offer materialises and reinvesting those funds on further strengthening could be tempting in the circumstances.

(Top photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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