MY MATE MITOMA? AMAZING!
BRIGHTON 1
Mitoma 87
BOURNEMOUTH 0 NOBODY at Brighton knows Roberto De Zerbi’s electrifying match-winner Kaoru Mitoma better than striker Deniz Undav.
But even he is stunned at the way the Japan sensation has taken the Premier League by storm this term.
The Seagulls attacking duo registered 48 Belgian Pro League goal involvements between them last season for Tony Bloom’s Royale Union Saint-gilloise.
Even so, Undav has been blown away by Mitoma’s dramatic rise to prominence.
And even by Brighton’s remarkable recruitment standards, it is hard not to be astounded as to how they have unearthed such an exciting, eye-catching talent for a mere £2.5million fee.
After his stoppage-time FA Cup heroics against Liverpool, Mitoma helped himself to another decisive late winner in the 1-0 triumph over Bournemouth to make it four goals in his last five top-flight matches.
“His impact in the Premier League has even surprised me to be fair,” said Undav.
“He has made such a big step so quickly. His oneversus-one dribbling is even better than it was in Belgium as he now knows when to pass and when to shoot.
“He is doing an unbelievable job right now.”
Undav, who missed three clear-cut first-half chances on his first league start, is looking to take inspiration from Mitoma, who initially had to be patient for opportunities at the Amex.
“You have to use your time out of the team as motivation,” added Undav.
“Mitoma did it – now he’s the star in our team and he’s making the difference every week. There was a period where I thought about leaving but I said to myself, ‘Deniz, stay here at Brighton and you will get your chance’. I don’t want to be a quitter.”
In many ways, his determination to make the grade at Albion is the beauty of the beast that Bloom and the Brighton hierarchy have created. There is a clear offfield infrastructure that enables the club to deliver historic results via trendbucking performances.
Moises Caicedo, another stellar £4.5m transfer steal, was welcomed back with open arms from the bench in the second half after Albion blocked his mega-money January switch to Arsenal.