Brighton may be better known as a club who sell for tens of millions as opposed to spending so extravagantly, but in Georginio Rutter, their £40million record buy, they saw a risk worth taking.
For good reason, too, as Saturday’s soiree in Southampton saw their summer signing from Championship Leeds score his sixth goal in eight games to boost a European charge which few considered feasible when they were beaten 7-0 by Nottingham Forest at the beginning of February.
Rutter smashed their previous priciest purchase by £10m – Joao Pedro and Yankuba Minteh each cost £30m – and St Mary’s Stadium saw the best of the 22-year-old Frenchman here as his energy was infectious for those around him. Well, those wearing the yellow of Brighton, anyway.
Rutter scored the second of the visitors’ four goals when he bullied Joe Aribo into surrendering possession by Southampton’s box.
That high-pressed turnover allowed Minteh to set him up for 2-0 as Brighton finished the weekend sitting ninth in the Premier League.
Georginio Rutter scored his sixth goal in eight games as Brighton won 4-0 at Southampton
The Seagulls have won three games in a row since being thrashed 7-0 at Nottingham Forest
Rock-bottom Southampton have now lost 11 of their last 13 fixtures in the Premier League
‘He needed a little time to adapt to the Premier League, to adapt to the intensity,’ Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said of Rutter.
‘Also, his body needed a little time. But now he is in impressive form.
‘He understands the game more and more, understands his value, how he can use his body against his opponent, and therefore I’m happy he’s in our team, that he builds the connections and the relationships to his team-mates.’
From the Seagulls to something much more flappy, Southampton are in such a bad state that even their manager Ivan Juric described this performance as a ‘disaster’.
You do not need to be Paul the Octopus to predict they are Championship-bound, and if Chelsea do not beat them by at least three goals tomorrow at Stamford Bridge, maybe Enzo Maresca’s side really are in crisis.
