If you’ve watched Brighton at all this season, you know that Roberto De Zerbi likes to rotate who plays for him up front. Some weeks it’s João Pedro who starts up front. Others, it’s Irish wonderkid Evan Ferguson or Danny Welbeck.
Ferguson and Pedro are players Brighton know they can count on in the future. They can’t say the same for Danny Welbeck, and have started to look for his replacement. HITC’s Graeme Bailey reported this week that Vitoria Guimaraes’ Jota Silva is one of the names Brighton could sign to replace Welbeck.
The 24-year-old Portuguese international has 9 goals and 5 assists in the Primeira Liga this season. As a right-footed player, he predominantly plays as a right winger. Silva has also played through the middle for Vitoria Guimaraes as a traditional striker or as a No. 10.
Wherever he plays, Silva is elite at getting in dangerous areas. He is in the 89th percentile of European attackers for touches in the opposition penalty area and in the 86th percentile for shots taken. Only four players have more shots on target in Portugal than Silva.
Reportedly, Brighton are not the only side interested in signing Silva this summer. HITC claims Wolves, Leicester City, and Celtic are also interested in the versatile attacker.
Silva’s player profile is similar to João Pedro’s, which could make him a natural fit in De Zerbi’s Brighton, but it also could be cause for concern given how one-dimensional Brighton’s attack has looked at times this season.
The Seagulls re-signed Danny Welbeck to a two-year contract in 2022 for a few reasons. For one, he’s a valuable Premier League veteran and a great locker room influence. However, the biggest reason he’s been so important for Brighton is because he gives them a different look in attack.
Welbeck’s aerial presence is far superior than Pedro’s and his hold-up play is more consistent than Ferguson’s. He can’t press like either of them can, but the 33-year-old has an indescribable quality to pull a rabbit out of a hat and score a surprise goal that few Brighton players have right now.
Welbeck’s contract expires this June. It seems unlikely that Brighton will re-sign him, which leaves a massive hole in De Zerbi’s side. Jota Silva could be the man who fills that hole.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that Deniz Undav could come back from loan at Stuttgart to replace Welbeck. If that’s the case, Silva would be brought in to compete with Simon Adingra and Solly March on the right wing.
