Lewis Dunk and Danny Welbeck updates have shifted Graham Potter's transfer window priorities
![Lewis Dunk is expected to return later this month](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/webimg/T0FLMTM1ODgxOTY5.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![Lewis Dunk is expected to return later this month](/img/placeholder.png)
Signings not managed in the summer, as well as problems which have occurred this season will all play their part in who Graham Potter will look to bring in.
The most obvious need for Brighton in the transfer window is to sign a striker, a position in they attempted but failed to sign in the summer.
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Hide AdThe Seagulls’ infamous xG (expected goals) rating last season, which showed Brighton failing to score the amount of goals they were expected to based on the chances they were creating, indicated that the side needed to sign a clinical forward.
With Brighton currently joint 15th for Premier League goals scored this season, the problem has not been fixed, the need to score more remains the same, and so high on Potter’s list again this window, will be a new striker.
However the recent form of Neal Maupay and a return to fitness of Danny Welbeck will mean Brighton will not be pushed into paying over the odds.
The injury to captain Lewis Dunk could also play a part in the transfer window, as Brighton may look to sign a defender as cover until Dunk returns and is match fit again.
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Hide AdHowever, with the impressive resurgence of Shane Duffy this season, the need to sign a consistent first team defender is not as high as it was following the end of last seasons campaign.
With Duffy impressing on his return from loan at Celtic last season, Brighton’s need to bolster their defence at the end of last season, having lost Ben White to Arsenal in the summer, looks to have been fulfilled by the Ireland international without having to have spent a penny.
As a result, potential plans to buy a central defender will now no longer be a high priority, and the link to Wales international Joe Rodon, who worked under Potter at Swansea, looks unlikely.
With the aforementioned xG stats from last season suggesting that Brighton’s problem was in taking chances and not creating them, Potter can be understood for not looking to sign a creative player for his side in the summer.
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Hide AdHowever, having created 21 big chances in 19 league games so far this season, which ranks them 12th in this capacity, it’s become apparent that Brighton have had a creativity issue so far this season.
What will make the Seagulls’ lack of big chances per game even more of a cause for concern for Potter, is that his side have had 56.5% possession on average in the league this season, up from 51.1% last campaign.
That extra 5% per game may not seem like a lot, but it opens up an extra 10% possession advantage over their opponents, and Potter will be disappointed to see that his team are not taking advantage of their extra time with the ball by creating more quality chances.
As a result, he may well be looking in the transfer market for a creative midfielder, despite securing the services of young prospect 18-year-old Kacper Koslowski, who has been loaned to Tony Bloom's Champions League chasing Belgium outfit USG.
One thing is for certain in this window, Brighton should be looking to do business if they want to continue they’re Premier League progress, and positive season so far.