Brighton’s player of the season: Pascal Gross, the assist machine

Brighton & Hove Albion players were asked to describe Pascal Gross in one word for a montage for the annual awards dinner.

Assembling the answers gives you this: Kaiser; first name on the teamsheet (not strictly one word but still concise); class; leader; winner; amazing; machine; smart; intelligent; relentless; runner (and moaner).

There is not always synergy when it comes to the player of the season in the view of team-mates and fans, but both groups rightly acknowledged the outstanding contribution of Gross.

Jan Paul van Hecke would have romped away with the most improved player prize if such a thing existed. Joao Pedro has done well in his first season at the club, scoring 20 goals — but, speaking of numbers, Gross just keeps on delivering.

Ten assists (which accompany a respectable tally of five goals) placed him joint third in the Premier League table with three players, including Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne.

He was also in the top 25 for Opta-defined ‘big chances’ created, with 11, the same as Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher and Tottenham’s James Maddison.

The way Gross set up Lewis Dunk’s late equaliser in the 1-1 home draw against Everton in February, after midfield accomplice Billy Gilmour had been sent off, illustrated how he has perfected the art of the Cruyff turn. He is renowned for it with supporters and he does it so well that opponents keep on falling for it.

Pascal Gross fooling the camera not once, but twice! 🥶 pic.twitter.com/MtvvWlmsas

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 27, 2024

After spending four years in the dressing room with Gross, former Liverpool and England midfielder Adam Lallana — now an ex-Brighton player — says: “He is a manager’s dream, hence why he is the first name on the teamsheet.

“He can play wherever on the pitch you want. He follows instruction, is reliable, an extremely good person. He totally represents Brighton. That is a relationship I am going to miss massively, because we got on very well from the word go.

“Pascal sticks out. Because I have got similarities to Pascal in mindset in how he plays and sees the game, the moment I stood on the training pitch I could just feel it and I wanted that guy next to me, out there — at all times.”

The extra responsibility on Gross’ shoulders this season makes his performances even more impressive. He responded to the challenge in central midfield, usually with Gilmour, of masking the double loss in last summer’s transfer window of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea and Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool.

Although raking in a potential £170million ($216m) combined, including additional clauses, from those sales, Brighton realistically were never going to be able to replace two such influential, high-quality performers in the same department of the team in two or three transfer windows, let alone one.

Gross has still stepped up, compensating for an absence of pace and physical presence with technical excellent, craft, ingenuity and nous. Making 52 appearances in total for club and country, including five via a well-deserved call-up by Germany at 32, is a testament to his stamina and fitness levels.

Gross has won the fans’ player of the season award twice, the first time in his debut season in the Premier League in 2017-18 playing as a No 10, following a £3million move from Ingolstadt. That has turned into quite a bargain.

Gross, who has a year left on his contract, has played under Chris Hughton, Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton. Head coach De Zerbi’s end-of-season departure has placed a question mark over the futures of some senior players.

Chief executive Paul Barber said: “Our senior players know how we work, they know the type of people we are most likely to bring into the club. I don’t anticipate players running through the door. Roberto has been here for two years, two good years, but many of the senior players have been here much longer than that.

“It’s like the end of term. Some kids leave, some teachers leave. The following term, new kids are in, new teachers are in. The players managed the transition between Graham and Roberto very smoothly and successfully and I am sure with the next one it will be the same.”

Gross is a UEFA B Licence coach and is studying for the A Licence with a view to returning to his homeland in the future, possibly as a player-coach. That is likely to be after one or two more seasons at Brighton, which will please supporters.

He turns 33 in June, the day after potentially facing team-mate Gilmour when host nation Germany play Scotland at the European Championship. It would be surprising if whoever replaces De Zerbi does not want the player dubbed ‘Kaiser’ by Van Hecke as a central pillar in their plans.

GO DEEPER

Pascal Gross: My game in my words

(Top photo: Mike Hewitt via Getty Images)