Brighton could solve their right-back problem by signing a £21 million Spanish wonderkid in January.

A Sevilla starlet is rumored to be on Brighton’s radar for January – will he be able to solve their full-back dilemma?

Brighton & Hove Albion haven’t had the easiest ride of late – for all the praise rightly heaped on Roberto de Zerbi for the strides the Seagulls have taken since he took over, recent form has plummeted and there have been a slew of injuries to contend with. Right-back has been particularly hard hit, with setbacks extending the spells of Pervis Estupián and Tariq Lamptey on the treatment table. Brighton, on the other hand, may have discovered a solution.

Juanlu Sánchez has been one of Sevilla‘s bright spots during a difficult season. The Europa League champions are once again flirting with relegation in La Liga, and their Champions League campaign has been derailed – but the newly minted Spain Under-21 international has impressed, attracting some unavoidable attention.

Local Seville newspapers have reported that De Zerbi is keeping an eye on the 20-year-old, but is he the right-back reinforcement that Brighton requires? Based on his performances this season, the answer could be a resounding “yes.”

Sánchez is an all-action fullback who effectively covers every blade of grass down the right flank. He’s dangerous in the final third, tough in the tackle, and fit enough to run all day, which is exactly what the Italian head coach expects from his full-backs. On paper, it appears to be a good fit.

He has a lot to offer on the defensive side of the ball. His 4.61 successful tackles per game average is one of the best in Europe, as are the 2.11 blocks he manages every 90 minutes. He’s the type of defender who gets all over his opponent, never backs down from a challenge, and rarely makes a mistake. He also has the raw speed to keep up with all but the fastest wingers, and while his game reading could be better – he prefers to get straight to his man and look for a challenge rather than shutting down crossing angles, for example – he’s good enough at his job that it doesn’t lead to too many errors.

He’ll also come in handy in the future. He’s an excellent dribbler who generates a lot of yards for his team with the ball at his feet, quick enough to get into dangerous positions down the wing to receive passes on the overlap, and a strong enough crosser and passer that he creates plenty of chances, with an average expected assist of 0.4 per game, which is a very high number for a nominally defensive player. He truly does a little bit of everything, and he does it very well. There’s a lot to like about his style of play, and it’s easy to see why Brighton would be excited.

The problem is, they aren’t the only ones who have noticed how good he is. Other news outlets have mentioned Newcastle United and Real Madrid as potential suitors, and as lovely as Brighton is, Sussex will be difficult to sell if Real comes calling. He shouldn’t be too expensive, as he currently has a release clause of €15m (£12.8m), which will apparently increase to €25m (£21.4m) in January.

Sevilla would demand every penny of that clause and would almost certainly try to bind him to a new contract. The player has not expressed a desire to leave, and whether he is interested in moving to the Premier League at this point in his career is unknown.

Brighton, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense for him. He is a perfect fit for De Zerbi‘s hundred-mile-per-hour pressing game, has the passing ability to move the ball around the back line under pressure, which is a big part of how the Seagulls play, and has the speed and skill down the flank to get the ball forward and help his team break quickly and dangerously. Brighton’s recent track record of developing talent suggests that they are a club that can make the most of Sánchez’s raw potential, which he appears to have in abundance.

The youngster is new to senior football, and it’s possible that he won’t be able to maintain the impressive levels of play he’s shown thus far – but from what we’ve seen, he’d be a great fit for Brighton, and a worthy transfer target for a team that needs to shake things up a little to get back on track. If they can finish this one in January, they might not be so concerned about all those injuries after all…

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