Why Ingolstadt Left-Back Markus Suttner Is A Good Option For Brighton
According to reports, Premier League newcomers Bright and Hove Albion have made a bid of around £1.75million for left-back Markus Suttner.
The 30-year-old Austrian international currently plays for German outfit Ingolstadt and has just a year left on his current contract. His side were relegated from the Bundesliga last season and the player seems to be unwilling to ply his trade in the second tier of German football.
Brighton have begun their summer recruitment drive in good style, signing Valencia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan after having allowed David Stockdale to leave.
The Left-back position has been a stumbling block for Brighton in recent times, despite their promotion from the Championship by finishing 2nd behind Newcastle. The Seagulls played Sebastien Pocognoli in that position for the most part last term, though he was only at the club on loan from West Brom and has now signed for Belgian club Standard Liege.
Suttner has been at Ingolstadt since 2015, joining after their own promotion to top division football. Before that, the full-back enjoyed a long spell with Austria Vienna where he graduated from the academy. Suttner could yet be convinced to join Brighton by a former team mate, Pascal Gross. Gross joined Brighton recently and would love to be re-united with Suttner.
In fairness, a player with a profile like Suttner’s and who has just been relegated is likely to jump at the chance to play in the Premier League and so Brighton should have few problems in completing the signing. At a time when PL teams are obsessed with youth, the smart play could be to bring someone with more experience in.
It’s alright to rely on youth if you believe your Premier League place is secure, but in Brighton’s case they need to think only about the short term for now and need players who can handle pressure. Suttner started 13 games in the Bundesliga last season and was excellent while going forward. 4 goals and 5 assists is an excellent contribution from a fullback.
His defensive stats are reasonable too and so all in all, despite the slight risk this signing would bring, Suttner looks like a good option for Brighton and it may be wise to get him in the bag now before too many other clubs get involved.