Kaoru Mitoma Becoming a Key Player for Brighton

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There has been a lot of change at Brighton and Hove Albion this season, the most obvious being the manager. Graham Potter left the club to join Chelsea and many feared the worst for Brighton as they appointed Roberto De Zerbi on the 18th of September.

However, De Zerbi is getting the best out of his players, with Brighton having lost Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella, and Leandro Trossard. One man who has stepped up for his new manager this season is Kaoru Mitoma.

Mitoma joined Brighton from Kawasaki Frontale in August 2021 for a fee believed to be around €3 million. That is a small sum of money considering some of the deals in the January transfer window and the Japanese winger is beginning to look like a real bargain.

In the 2021/22 campaign, Mitoma was loaned out to Royale Union Saint Gilloise and made a total of 29 appearances, scoring 8 goals and making 4 assists.

Mitoma made his Premier League debut for Brighton against Newcastle United as a substitute in the 75th minute but had little time to make an impact on the match.

It was not until the 29th of October that Mitoma made his first Premier League start for Brighton and it came in a 4-1 home victory over Chelsea, with the Japanese setting up one of the goals. Just a week later, Mitoma scored his first goal for Brighton, netting the equaliser in a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

At the time of writing, Mitoma’s most recent appearance came in the 1-0 home win over Bournemouth in the Premier League. Mitoma scored the winning goal in the 87th minute and his strike prompted the manager to state he is a player he would never take off the pitch.

The goal against Bournemouth was his 6th in his last 9 appearances across all competitions for Brighton and Mitoma is fast becoming a key player for Brighton. Mitoma’s overall performance against Bournemouth was far from his best but he was there when it mattered most to score the winning goal.

Mitoma has made only 8 starts in the Premier League for Brighton this season yet has a return of 5 goals and one assist. He has scored 4 goals in his last 5 Premier League matches and scored in the 2-1 home win over Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round.

Mitoma has risen from being a bench player to one of the first names on the team sheet at Brighton.

At 25 years of age, there is still plenty of room for improvement and Brighton fans will be hoping Mitoma is a player they can keep at the club. If his form continues, other clubs will come knocking, especially if he makes it into double figures for goals in the Premier League this season.

There has been a lot of change at Brighton and Hove Albion this season, the most obvious being the manager. Graham Potter left the club to join Chelsea and many feared the worst for Brighton as they appointed Roberto De Zerbi on the 18th of September.

However, De Zerbi is getting the best out of his players, with Brighton having lost Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella, and Leandro Trossard. One man who has stepped up for his new manager this season is Kaoru Mitoma.

Mitoma joined Brighton from Kawasaki Frontale in August 2021 for a fee believed to be around €3 million. That is a small sum of money considering some of the deals in the January transfer window and the Japanese winger is beginning to look like a real bargain.

In the 2021/22 campaign, Mitoma was loaned out to Royale Union Saint Gilloise and made a total of 29 appearances, scoring 8 goals and making 4 assists.

Mitoma made his Premier League debut for Brighton against Newcastle United as a substitute in the 75th minute but had little time to make an impact on the match.

It was not until the 29th of October that Mitoma made his first Premier League start for Brighton and it came in a 4-1 home victory over Chelsea, with the Japanese setting up one of the goals.

Just a week later, Mitoma scored his first goal for Brighton, netting the equaliser in a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

At the time of writing, Mitoma’s most recent appearance came in the 1-0 home win over Bournemouth in the Premier League. Mitoma scored the winning goal in the 87th minute and his strike prompted the manager to state he is a player he would never take off the pitch.

The goal against Bournemouth was his 6th in his last 9 appearances across all competitions for Brighton and Mitoma is fast becoming a key player for Brighton. Mitoma’s overall performance against Bournemouth was far from his best but he was there when it mattered most to score the winning goal.

Mitoma has made only 8 starts in the Premier League for Brighton this season yet has a return of 5 goals and one assist. He has scored 4 goals in his last 5 Premier League matches and scored in the 2-1 home win over Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round.

Mitoma has risen from being a bench player to one of the first names on the team sheet at Brighton.

At 25 years of age, there is still plenty of room for improvement and Brighton fans will be hoping Mitoma is a player they can keep at the club. If his form continues, other clubs will come knocking, especially if he makes it into double figures for goals in the Premier League this season.