Brighton are currently flying high in the Championship and, although there was somewhat of a surprise defeat last weekend away at Preston, they are many pundits’ favourites to not only get automatic promotion to the top-flight, but perhaps even win the division outright.
With Brighton fans suffering three play-off disappointments in the past four seasons, the hope will be that come May this will be the season in which the Seagulls finally make the step up to the Premier League. At the halfway stage of the season, they look in a strong position to do so, but that was also the case 12 months ago in a season that ultimately ended in heartbreak
They, of course, went on to miss out on promotion by the smallest of margins with Middlesbrough going up instead by virtue of goals scored, and what made that even more agonising is the fact that the two sides met at the Riverside Stadium on the final day of the season with the game ending in a very frustrating draw for Chris Hughton’s outfit.
The former Newcastle manager will want to make sure that history does not repeat itself this time around, and to make sure of that then he may well feel that a few reinforcements are required in a bid to get them over the promotion line.
So, let’s now look at THREE players who could be on their way to the Brighton before the close of the window…
Jason Lowe
One player who has grabbed the attention of the Brighton scouts of late is Jason Lowe of fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers. The versatile 25-year-old is being tracked by a number of clubs and what makes his possible transfer all the more appealing is the fact that Lowe is out of contract at the end of the season.
The question now is whether or not clubs are prepared to play the waiting game until the summer to acquire the services of Lowe on a free transfer or whether they feel it would be best to hurry the move along by making a bid in the current transfer window. With the Rovers ace refusing to sign a new deal, Blackburn may well be forced to sell this month so as to avoid seeing him leave the club for nothing.
The former England U-21 international has been an ever-present and an all-important feature for Owen Coyle’s side as they bid to beat the drop down to League One, so should he leave this month then it would obviously deal Blackburn’s survival hopes a massive blow, but at the same time could also enhance Brighton’s chances of promotion.
Robbie Keane
Brighton have also been eyeing a new striker in this transfer window to add to support for on loan returnee Glenn Murray and they might just be able to bring one of the Premier League’s most lethal ever finishers to the Amex Stadium: Robbie Keane. Keane is a free agent after leaving Major League Soccer outfit LA Galaxy and could well be the missing piece of the jigsaw when it comes to Brighton going up.
The Republic of Ireland idol, who has played for no fewer than six Premier League clubs during his career, has scored 126 top-flight goals – a tally that makes him the 13th highest Premier League goalscorer of all time – and he shows signs of slowing down just yet. Perhaps MLS is a much easier league in comparison, but the 36-year-old has shown that he still has that vital instinct for goals.
A return to the Premier League may elude him this month, but with Keane being available on a free transfer then he will undoubtedly still be in high demand, especially for the clubs aiming to secure promotion from the Championship. With Brighton falling short because of goals scored last season that is not something they will want to see happen again and the signature of Keane would go a long way to making sure that’s not the case two seasons in a row.
Glenn Murray
If they do not manage to succeed in acquiring the services of Keane then a smart bit of business they should definitely look to do is make the loan signing of current top scorer Glenn Murray a permanent one. Murray, who is on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth, is in his second spell with the Sussex-based club and it’s fair to say that he’s picked up from where he left off last time.
Murray left the club in slightly acrimonious circumstances back in 2011 with his departure to arch rivals Crystal Palace, but it seems that football fans have short memories as the 33-year-old is once again being heralded as a fans’ favourite on the South Coast. It’s his 14 goals in 22 Championship outings this season that have arguably gone some way to helping Brighton fans forget his departure to the Eagles.
After falling out of Eddie Howe’s plans at the Vitality Stadium towards the end of last season it was made clear that his future was elsewhere for the start of this one. Although Bournemouth cannot recall the player due to the terms of the loan agreement, such has been the impressive form of Murray during this campaign that Chris Hughton will now want to complete a deal to remove any doubts about the player’s future. It’s a move that, should it be completed this month, will be incredibly beneficial in Brighton’s push for promotion.