Gull-Mouth Action podcast - episode 39 | Billy Gilmour transfer latest and Fabian Hurzeler at Everton
Derren Howard is joined by Brighton and Hove Albion writers Sam Morton, Henry Bryant and Ian Hart ahead of Albion's Premier League opener at Everton this Saturday. We also take a look at the latest transfer news, including Billy Gilmour to Napoli.
Transcript
00:00OK, hi there and welcome to another episode of Goalmouth Action Podcast.
00:04We'll take a look at all the latest goings on at Brighton and Hove Albion.
00:08I'm Darren Howard and I'm joined by Brighton writers Sam Morton and Henry Bryant,
00:12as well as our Sussex World columnist and lifelong Albion fan Ian Hart.
00:16Brighton travel to Everton this Saturday for their Premier League opener at Goodison Park.
00:21It will be new boss Fabian Hurlitz's first match in charge of the Seagulls,
00:25having joined in the summer from German outfit St Pauli.
00:28And we'll also take a look at all the latest transfer news for Brighton,
00:32including the latest on Billy Gilmore to Napoli and another potential incoming
00:36Imbrasion Gruder from German club Mainz.
00:40We'll also pick over the bones of Albion's win against Villarreal in their final pre-season friendly
00:47at the Amex Stadium last week and also take a look at the predictions for the weekend as well.
00:53But we'll start with you, Sam.
00:54You're at the at the final pre-season game against Villarreal, 4-0 victory.
00:59All look quite comfortable in the end.
01:01But what was your overall thoughts and are they ready for the for the Premier League opener?
01:06Yeah, it certainly seems so.
01:07I think it was a really entertaining game and Brighton looks really good going forward.
01:12I think the game started off a little bit ropey where Villarreal put a couple of long balls through
01:17and they could very easily have taken the lead.
01:20And Fabian Herzog did actually say in his interview at the end that he was a little bit unhappy
01:26with how the game started and it very easily could have gone differently if Dan Juma had got the ball
01:32in the goal rather than hit the post and he probably should have scored.
01:34And they had a couple of moments where they broke in behind the defence on the left-hand side
01:39and couldn't make Brighton pay for it.
01:41But Brighton, on the other hand, were really clinical.
01:43And every time they went forward, they looked like they would score.
01:45Danny Welbert was on fire.
01:47He's shown once again how important he continues to be for Brighton and Jankuva Minte as well,
01:53who's really set the world alight since he's come in for Brighton.
01:56And obviously, he's only pre-season and it's difficult to judge how he will do in the Premier League.
02:01But the signs are really, really positive from him, really.
02:05He looks really quick and he's really good at winning the ball high up the field.
02:09And he grabbed another goal.
02:10It was a really nice goal, actually, whereas it was a little bit chaotic in the box,
02:13but he managed to calm himself down and find a really nice finish.
02:17But Jao Pedro is the one who opened the scoring with a belting goal at the start of the game.
02:22And it's great to see him back and just once again show how much of a quality player he is.
02:27He's actually been nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year as well.
02:31So, obviously, some tough competition in that.
02:35But yeah, expecting another big season from Pedro.
02:39It was a great goal against Villarreal.
02:41And it was, yeah, obviously, it was the forwards that won the game for them in the end,
02:44with obviously, Welbeck and Mincey getting the other goals.
02:48Welbeck getting a couple with a second from the penalty as well.
02:52So, yeah, really entertaining game.
02:54Lots of goals.
02:54And it continued Brighton's 100 per cent win record in pre-season.
02:58So, obviously, as I say, it's difficult to take too much from that as wins aren't the most important thing in pre-season.
03:04It's all about getting the players fit and ready.
03:06But it certainly seems that they are.
03:08Good, good, good.
03:09Yeah, it's been an interesting summer, Ian.
03:11Obviously, Deserby left.
03:12Herzéla came in.
03:15If they bring the new lad in from Mainz, it's going to be almost more than £100 million that they've spent on new players this summer.
03:23What do you make of everything that's happened over this transfer window and since Deserby left?
03:29Well, they had to, really.
03:31Good morning, Deren and Henry and Dan, Sam.
03:35They had to.
03:39This is the transfer window we've all been waiting for.
03:43We actually sort of showed last year that, you know, we sold the two quality players, Cusado and McAllister, at the beginning of the season or in the first transfer window and we never replaced them.
03:59The squad was light, rightly or wrongly, or did he or didn't he, did Deserby ask for reinforcements in Jan?
04:10I mean, and Sam will correct me now because I'm getting old, that this young lad that we've loaned out to Port Vale, what's his name, Bailey Boateng or whatever?
04:22Oh, yes.
04:23Yeah, yeah.
04:23Baker Boateng.
04:24Yeah.
04:25Yeah, yeah.
04:26He featured in Europe, didn't he?
04:29I think he came on as a late sub, didn't he?
04:31Yeah, and that shows how light we were, that he's featured in Europe and then we've loaned him to Port Vale.
04:38You know, we haven't loaned him to someone in the Championship.
04:43So, this has been the transfer window that we've all been waiting for.
04:50As I've said in the column this week and last week, with Hertziller, there's no grey area here.
04:58It's either going to be feast or famine.
05:01We're either going to hit the ground running.
05:03You know, he's this lad who's come from Bundesliga 2.
05:07He's going to bamboozle the rest of the EPL and we're going to end up winning a trophy within two years or it's going to unravel pretty quickly.
05:17Whether they admit their mistake early or not and make a change, we'll get dragged down into a relegation fight.
05:24And sadly, we could end up playing Pompey in the Championship in the next couple of years.
05:30I'm going for the first one and we're going to win a trophy within the next couple of years.
05:36I think, you know, as I said, this is what we've been waiting for.
05:40Some quality coming in.
05:43Pedro, as you say, they're pushing Lawrenson as my greatest of all time.
05:49He's going to have another good season, if he can stay injury free.
05:54Well, Vex playing this final cameo, it will be nice to see Ferguson back firing on all cylinders as well.
06:01But some really excited. This Minty really excites me.
06:05And a fit Matoma will always excite.
06:07So fingers fingers crossed. And I don't want Gilmore to go to Napoli.
06:12I think I think that's that would be a retrograde step.
06:15But yeah. Yeah.
06:18Who am I? Henry, do you think what's going to happen with with Gilmore?
06:23Henry, would you like to see him stay?
06:25And if he does go, what do you think is the reason behind behind a possible departure for Gilmore?
06:32Well, I think as a lot of Albion fans sort of would agree with, it would be a real shame and a big loss for us to lose Billy Gilmore,
06:41because, I mean, we've recently just got rid of the club veteran Pascal Gross to Borussia Dortmund, his boyhood club.
06:48And I mean, that's a deal that he couldn't sort of reject.
06:51And, you know, we need someone young to step up and to sort of take that position, fill Pascal Gross's shoes, really,
06:59and become another sort of servant for the club.
07:02I think that the way that Gilmore's been playing at the age of 23, there's still so much potential there.
07:07Yeah, I think the chances that he was given, you know, with Scotland in the Euros as well to play,
07:13especially that final game against Hungary, where they just weren't able to get over the line.
07:17I thought he played really well. A lot of pundits as well were sort of highlighting the fact that he was doing this a lot for Brighton,
07:25you know, in the season before the Euro started.
07:28And I think he was just such a key player for us, really, being able to sort of just change defence into attack.
07:35And it would be such a big loss for us.
07:37I know that there was an £8 million offer initially that was rejected.
07:43Apparently that was now sort of replaced with this around £20 million mark.
07:49Not sure if there's any add-ons on that.
07:51But I just think that maybe he's thinking that maybe there'll be some chances in Europe for him potentially, you know, that are coming up.
08:02I also think that it could be a money thing where he might be getting a little bit more money, a bit more wages.
08:08Because I think with the way that Brighton have been playing and the way that we've spent in this transfer window,
08:15that, you know, we've got all the makings for another push for maybe the Conference League, maybe, or even the Europa League,
08:22if we play sort of, you know, the right football and if we get results early on and get the confidence going.
08:28So it's going to be a big loss.
08:30And I don't see any other reason other than maybe the fact that he's interested in, you know,
08:35trying his luck in, you know, with Napoli and in the Italian League and seeing how he gets on,
08:40maybe seeing if he can perform well there and maybe go back to the Premier League with maybe, you know, a bigger club potentially.
08:47But it hurts, Liz.
08:50But he's 23. He's 23. He's still nappy pin stage, you know, he's living in Worthing.
09:00I don't know what he earns and it would be wrong for us to discuss that.
09:05But I would imagine that he's on a fairly good wage now.
09:10He's playing international football with Scotland.
09:15I just think it would be a strange move.
09:19We're on the cusp of something.
09:21We've had a taste of the European competition.
09:27And as you say, Henry, we're going to be pushing, hopefully, when we hit the ground running.
09:34And eight million pounds, well, that's tyre kicking.
09:37It's ridiculous.
09:38Yeah, it's a joke.
09:40You know, it's like something off auto trading, trying to buy a car cheap, you know.
09:45So I hope that, you know, it is a squad game.
09:49And as we saw last year, if your squad isn't big enough, you will suffer.
09:53We need strength in depth.
09:56Billy must stay.
09:57I agree. Sam, do you think so?
10:00I don't think Brighton have seen the best of him yet, do they?
10:02He had a good season last year.
10:04And I thought this was going to be the year where he's really going to kick on and show what a class act he is.
10:09And I think at 23, he's just coming into that, into that prime, isn't he now?
10:15100 percent. Yeah, I'm certainly surprised it looks like he's heading for the exit door because he really is a great player.
10:21He's one of the more experienced players left, obviously 23,
10:24but one of the more kind of players who understands the Premier League.
10:27He's kind of been in the team for a little while now and he can kind of help these new players settle in.
10:31So I think after Pascal Gross is gone, you kind of need all of those players, as many of those players as you can get, really.
10:37People that know what the club's all about, the ethos and all things like that.
10:40So I certainly think it's surprising.
10:42Maybe it all comes down to the fact that obviously Mats Wieters has come in and he maybe thinks he'll take his spot.
10:48And maybe he's a bit concerned.
10:50Obviously, Yassine Iyari has come back in pre-season and performed quite well.
10:54Yeah, and we obviously don't know the future of Jakob Moder.
10:58Milner's been playing in pre-season in that midfield role while Guillermo's been out.
11:02So there's certainly options in the midfield for Bryson.
11:05But I think having Guillermo around and having him alongside Weefool via Richon midfield pairing,
11:13and obviously you've got Believer as well, who I know has been slotted in a left-back in recent weeks.
11:16But when Estupinam and Barco are firing in fit, I think Believer will be in midfield.
11:23So you can't maybe see it from Guillermo's argument, there's a lot of players to survive without a central midfield spot.
11:30So, yeah, it's a difficult one, a difficult one.
11:32But I would certainly like to see him stay.
11:33And if he is to leave, Brighton should ask for a lot more money than what's being quoted at the moment.
11:38And as you say, that eight million bid initially was laughable, really.
11:43Yeah, so we'll see what happens with that.
11:45But fingers crossed, fingers crossed he doesn't upstay.
11:48Yeah, yeah.
11:50Harty, there's another talk of another attacker coming in, a right winger,
11:54Breyhan Gruder from Mainz in Germany, another 25 million, a significant investment again.
12:01Is that a position that Brighton needs to prioritise?
12:04Yeah, I mean, that's the right kind of right winger to have in the current climate, isn't it?
12:09Rather than what's going on elsewhere in the world.
12:12Yeah, we need to look, it's about attacking options.
12:19Goals win games.
12:20So we need attacking options all over the pitch.
12:25Strengthen there, really exciting times.
12:29Again, I'll echo what Sam and both Sam and Henry said.
12:34Going back to Gilmour, he must stay.
12:37It is a squad thing.
12:39So, you know, you're not going to play.
12:42I mean, for older viewers, Aston Villa won the 1981 championship.
12:48They played 14 players all season.
12:51Those days are gone.
12:53Yeah, it's a 25-25 game.
12:55And, you know, and you're not going to play every game.
13:00This is not under eights.
13:03You're not going to play every game.
13:04So we've just got to concentrate on having a decent squad and a strong squad.
13:10Again, without wanting to sound like a crack record,
13:12we saw what happens when your squad is not strong enough.
13:16And we hopefully have learned from that very, very important lesson.
13:21Yeah, well, a few injuries can really impact it as well, can't they?
13:24A few players suffer injuries and after long periods of time,
13:28it quickly unravels as we saw last season.
13:30Yeah, yeah.
13:31All right, well, join us.
13:33Thanks for that, guys.
13:33Join us after the break and we'll take a look at Everton
13:36and some other potential stars that can shine for Brighton this season.
13:42OK, well, welcome back to the Goldmouth Action podcast.
13:46Brighton travel to Everton this Saturday for the Premier League opener.
13:51And it's a heck of a test for Fabian Herzeler's first match back,
13:56first match in charge, Henry.
13:59Sean Dyche's team at Packed Goodison Park.
14:03That's going to be an introduction to the Premier League, isn't it,
14:06for Herzeler and a number of the new players of Brighton as well?
14:11It certainly is.
14:12If there's one way to sort of wake up and get yourself into the Premier League
14:15and actually see what Herzeler is actually made of,
14:18then this is going to be that sort of game.
14:20I mean, our last boot in for Everton was a one-all draw at home with Gilmore.
14:25Actually, we're talking about finally got a red card in that game.
14:28Game before, another one-all draw.
14:30And then the game that I and many other Brighton fans hate talking about,
14:33but that 5-1 loss to the Toffees at home, that was an absolute shambles.
14:39When we had such a good season, we were trying to pick up points
14:42and try and push, you know, pushing for Europe at that point.
14:44We didn't know if we're going to get it.
14:46And yeah, that was that was a calamity.
14:48That was. But yeah, I think Herzeler's probably a little bit nervous for this one
14:53because, I mean, you're away.
14:55You've got this sort of, you know, really passionate fan base of Everton.
15:00They're going to be making a big noise.
15:02It's similar to if we were playing Newcastle away,
15:05you know, for the first game of the season.
15:06They've got that same sort of aura of, you know, the fans.
15:10You know, they absolutely love the club and they'll be bellowing out.
15:14Yeah, so it'll be a big test for them.
15:16And yeah, like you say, we've got a lot of young players in the squad now.
15:19And I was saying to Sam actually recently,
15:21I should probably have a look and see what the average age of,
15:24you know, the team is.
15:25So I feel like it would fall under sort of that 23 mark, 24 mark.
15:29If that, maybe that's just being generous there.
15:32I think it could be younger.
15:33So it's a big test for these new boys, really.
15:36And with the amount of money we're spending,
15:38if we do get these, you know, other players that we're looking at signing
15:42and it seems like we're imminent of signing at the time of recording,
15:45then we'll be well into over £100 million in spending,
15:48which is unheard of.
15:50But at the same time, you know, getting up to speed with the Premier League
15:53and getting everyone match ready might take a few games, to be honest with you.
15:57It might not be the best article that we want to see.
16:00You know, Brighton fans always expect quite a lot, you know,
16:03in the last few years because of the success that we've had,
16:06because of the amount of money that we've been able to sell players for.
16:10So obviously Brighton hold a lot of value there.
16:12But I do think that Brighton fans will have to sort of just give the players
16:17a few games just to meld, you know, well together and get into things.
16:21I think it's going to be a really tough one.
16:22I'll be very surprised if we win this one.
16:25Oh, really? Yeah.
16:26Ian, would you agree with that?
16:28Or do you think it's going to be a real test for Herzéla?
16:31And they've looked good in pre-season, haven't they?
16:33But I guess that all goes out the window.
16:36This is the best league in the world.
16:39It's a test every game, even when you're playing perceived relegation fodder,
16:46which I don't think Everton are.
16:48I think they're going to be mid-table this year.
16:51Yeah, but we've got to hit the ground running.
16:54You can't get left behind.
16:57It's three fascinating games.
16:59Everton away, Man United at home, Arsenal away.
17:06Would we be happy with four points?
17:07Would we be happy with six points from that?
17:11You know, I think, going back to my feast or famine theory,
17:16that we are going to hit the ground running on Saturday afternoon.
17:22And I can see us coming back with all three points.
17:27Pre-season, you shouldn't really judge too much.
17:31It's about fitness and sharpness and getting things done.
17:34I mean, I can remember, and you'll all be looking at me blankly
17:37because you're all considerably younger than this.
17:4143 years ago, Jimmy Case made his debut at a pre-season friend at
17:47Griffin Park in Brentford, where Brentford won 3-1.
17:51And, you know, everybody was, oh, no, it's going to be.
17:55And then we went on.
17:56We had our best ever finish in 81-82.
17:59So whilst we should look at sharpness and fitness,
18:04the real test starts three o'clock Saturday afternoon.
18:08And this young Fabian, the youngest ever EPL manager,
18:13comes in, he will bamboozle the rest of the EPL,
18:18and we'll hit the ground running.
18:21But with Billy Gilmore, not without him, please.
18:24Yes, yeah.
18:24Well, hopefully Gilmore stays.
18:26What do you make of Herzele, Sam?
18:28You've watched a lot of the pre-season games.
18:31Has there been any noticeable differences in the tactics
18:34from Di Zerbi to Herzele?
18:37And what do you think it's going to be like
18:39against a Sean Dyche team?
18:44Dyche is the sort of manager that loves playing up
18:45against these young up-and-coming managers, isn't he?
18:49And spoiling their occasion.
18:52Absolutely, absolutely.
18:53Yes, it's all set up to be a really exciting but tough match
18:57for both teams, really.
18:58I think the early signs from Herzele are that he's definitely
19:01a little bit more defensive-minded than Di Zerbi was.
19:04I think we can see that from his comments
19:05in his post-match interviews.
19:07There's a real focus on his players defending from the front.
19:10He's made a big beeline for that, and he wants his players
19:13to win the ball back high up the pitch.
19:15And he described Yankuba Minte as actually
19:17the role model for that.
19:19And you could really see how much he's really understood that.
19:23And when you watch him play, he's constantly winning
19:25the ball back high up the pitch.
19:26And then you've obviously got Mats Weaver behind him.
19:29If Minte doesn't win the ball, you've got Weaver
19:30with really long legs, can easily stretch and win
19:33the ball back as well.
19:34And I think that's the real focus on that, is to win
19:37the ball out of the field and try and keep the pressure
19:40high up on the opponents.
19:42And we've really seen that.
19:43We've seen Brighton really suffocate defences.
19:46We saw it in both games in Japan, where they were able
19:47to score some goals in quick succession,
19:49where they just put the defence under so much pressure.
19:52So you've kind of got that real perfect mould
19:54between defence and attack.
19:56Maybe with Di Zerbi, it could be a little bit
19:58one bit topsy-turvy sometimes.
20:00And just, it was a bit too gung-ho.
20:02We saw things go wrong quite quickly, if it did go wrong.
20:05But there were some brilliant days as well.
20:07As we know, Brighton were brilliant on their day
20:09under Di Zerbi.
20:10So there's still some very big boots to fill
20:12in Di Zerbi, despite everything brilliant.
20:15We need to see the real test start away at Everton.
20:18As you've mentioned, Sean Dyche is a master
20:20at setting his Everton team up.
20:22He's really hard to beat.
20:23Brighton don't get there in an early goal,
20:25and as long as the game goes on nil-nil,
20:27or even if Everton take the lead,
20:29we can see what can happen.
20:31I can't see anything like that happening again,
20:35turn the touchwood.
20:36But I think it'll be a really tough game.
20:38I think Brighton will get the win.
20:41I think from what I've seen in pre-season
20:43and what I've seen from the new signings,
20:45and if they can all be fit to start
20:47and get a strong team out,
20:50I think they probably have more firepower
20:52than Everton, I would say.
20:55Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
20:56Onana was a big loss for Everton, actually,
20:58even going to Aston Villa.
21:00That's a key loss for Everton.
21:02I'm interested to see how they get on this season.
21:04But yeah, I'm confident Brighton
21:05will get the win at Goodison Park.
21:08Good stuff, good stuff.
21:09And they've made a number of signings,
21:11obviously, Brighton, Ian,
21:12but is there one or two players
21:15that you think are really,
21:16that you're looking forward to seeing
21:17develop or play this year?
21:20I'll probably be a bit boring
21:21and pick Jan-Paul van Geck.
21:23I think he can possibly be
21:25one of the best defenders
21:26in the Premier League this year,
21:28the way he's progressing.
21:29Is there a player that you're looking forward
21:31to seeing more than anyone else this year?
21:34I just want to see an injury-free
21:37Matoma and Pedro.
21:40Those are two players that really excite me,
21:43really excite me.
21:45There's a buzz around the Amex
21:47when they get the ball.
21:50We were told Pedro was class anyway.
21:54World class was a word that was used,
21:57and he is going to end up
21:58a future number nine of Brazil.
22:01But I just want to stay injury-free.
22:04We've got reinforcements as well.
22:07It is going to be an exciting season.
22:10We know that players come and go,
22:12so we know that if we have a classic season
22:14from Matoma or Pedro or even Mente,
22:18someone like that,
22:19that they might get cherry-picked.
22:21But you just have to live with that.
22:23Let's live for the now.
22:25Just a quick nod.
22:27Thank you to Pascal Gross,
22:30one of the greatest players to play for the Albion.
22:34Not the greatest player.
22:35We all know who that is.
22:37One of the greatest players.
22:40No one can deny him his move to his boyhood club.
22:46I went to that Dortmund stadium
22:48for the Holland semi-final.
22:49It is absolute quality.
22:52He will absolutely love it,
22:54and he is playing in the Champions League.
22:56He is playing at the high end of the Bundesliga.
22:58Everything he deserves at the end
23:01of his long and esteemed career.
23:04So I really do wish him well.
23:05Yes, good stuff.
23:06I think every Brighton fan would agree with that.
23:09And just quickly, Henry,
23:10which players are you looking forward
23:12to seeing the most this season?
23:16Well, in terms of the new signings,
23:18I think Jakub Minta has so much potential.
23:21Just the way that he is able to drive the ball forward.
23:25And he seemed relentless in those pre-season games
23:28when a lot of people were trying to get back
23:32into the swing of things.
23:33He looked Premier League ready,
23:34in my opinion, from day one.
23:37And it was really exciting to see
23:38the way he was playing football.
23:42He's going to be such a big asset to Brighton.
23:45I mean, at age 20 years old,
23:48he's another player we've uncovered.
23:50And I mentioned in another podcast
23:52that we did previously,
23:53that quite a lot of Brighton fans
23:56have already been taken to social media
23:58to thank Newcastle, saying,
23:59oh, you've given us another bargain.
24:02It's obviously not the sort of
24:04five to ten million pound range
24:06that Brighton normally get their young wonder kids for.
24:09You know, this is a bit more money.
24:11But I do believe that in terms of the potential
24:14that he's got and the chances he'll get,
24:17I think with the club,
24:19he's going to progress really nicely.
24:21And I know he'll get quite a few goals this season.
24:24Yeah, no, I think him and Koza Dubri as well.
24:26I think that those two both could be very good.
24:29Just away from Brighton quickly,
24:31Ian, I know you wanted to mention something
24:33on Graham Thorpe, who sadly passed away recently.
24:37Yeah, a very difficult few days
24:41for Graham Thorpe's family.
24:43And again, another person that we know
24:50succumbing to that horrible depression.
24:56I actually had the privilege of meeting Graham
24:58on my travels following England
25:01Test cricket team over the years.
25:04And he was a really nice guy.
25:06And I know Worthing Cricket Club had him
25:09doing their presentations a few years ago.
25:12And he was a real gem, a real diamond.
25:16And I'm just saying that it takes all sorts
25:22to make a world, but if anybody's watching this
25:26and they are struggling, please get in contact
25:28either the Samaritans or go and see your GP.
25:32One person doing this is one too many.
25:35Sadly, Graham won't be the last person,
25:38but all the time people can go and get help.
25:41Please go and get help.
25:43Yeah, well said, Ian, well said.
25:45And OK, well, thanks.
25:48Thanks for joining us, chaps.
25:50And thanks for everybody who's watched.
25:52And don't forget, for all of the Brighton
25:54coverage throughout the new Premier League
25:57season, which starts this Saturday at Everton,
25:59go to sussexworld.co.uk sport.
26:03And our newspapers are always the best places
26:05to get all of the Albion coverage.
26:08But for the meantime, good luck to Brighton.
26:10And thanks, chaps, for joining us this morning.