Chris Hughton Claims the Arrival of Jurgen Locadia Gives Brighton an Abundance of Options Up Front

Brighton manager Chris Hughton feels that the versatility of January signing Jurgen Locadia has given his side plenty of positional and tactical options in the Seagulls attack.

The Dutch player arrived on the South Coast of England for a club-record fee of £15m, and it didn’t take him long to settle, as he scored 15 minutes into his debut on Saturday’s FA Cup victory over Coventry City.

The 24-year-old joins the likes of fellow January signing Leonardo Ulloa – who also scored against Coventry on Saturday – and Glenn Murray, who’s the club’s top scorer this season with 10 goals to his name.

GLYN KIRK/GettyImages

“He has scored goals at PSV, but we are still learning more about him," Hughton told Brighton's official website.

“He hasn’t always played as a No 9 and featured in a 4-3-3 at PSV in a wider area, which he drifted into at some points on Saturday. That gives us more options.”

"He came to us in the January window and he had a good start to the season scoring goals. He has got through 75 minutes and although he has trained for two-and-a-half weeks, you can't be sure how he is going to play, so I was pleased with his fitness

(You may also be interested in: New Brighton Signing Locadia Believes the Best Is Yet to Come Following Debut FA Cup Goal)

The Seagulls brought the Dutch striker from PSV Eindhoven where he racked up an impressive 62 goals in 176 appearances for the Dutch outfit.

Locadia will try and help Brighton climb up the table when they come up against fellow strugglers Swansea on Saturday. The Seagulls sit just two points above the drop zone and will be hoping to retain their Premier League status after last seasons promotion from the Championship.