Why Brighton star Pascal Gross is the Premier League's most underrated player

They say £3m gets you nothing in the modern game. Hell, they even say that about sums as large as £10m or £15m. True enough, the prices even average players change hands for nowadays is frightening, and in certain parts of the world, upwards of £40m can be spent on what transpires to be a player who barely even kicks a ball for you. 

Fortunately, there’s always an exception to help prove the rule, and how fitting it is that one of those exceptions wears a Brighton & Hove Albion shirt, representing one of the very finest clubs in the business at fleecing suitors for maximal (over-market) value.  

Pascal Gross, a man who has set about reaching milestones and breaking records since the moment he set foot on the south coast, is nearing the end of his sixth season at the Amex and, like a fine wine, only seems to get better with age. You may have noticed his presence in Germany’s latest international squad, which means he’s sharing a pitch with players like Toni Kroos of Real Madrid and Ilkay Gundogan of Barcelona. Does he look out of place? Not a chance. 

His statistics this season once again look remarkably good, topping the Brighton charts in so many different categories it can be tough to keep track of it all. 

He’s played the most key passes, 76, by far - the next-highest tally is 25. A rate of 3.1 key passes per 90 is also the best in the Premier League. He’s played the most passes into the penalty area, 58, by far - the next-highest is 34. The same goes for progressive passes (Gross 226, next-highest 165), completed crosses into the box (Gross 20, next-highest 10) and so on.

He’s even attempted (51) and won (33) the most tackles of any of his teammates, and in doing so has spread them out across the thirds nicely - 23 in the defensive third, 16 in the middle, 12 in the attacking third. This neatly highlights the way he impacts in every part of the pitch.

Then, of course, there’s the headline statistic: Not only does he lead all of his colleagues in assists (10), he’s joint-top of the entire Premier League with Kieran Trippier and Ollie Watkins in that particular category. Set pieces always help, but with or without them, Gross is a creative machine.  

"The people… they don’t understand the level of Pascal," manager Roberto De Zerbi quipped back in December. "He is underestimated. He is improving in confidence after playing for the national team. I would like to play with him in Brighton for a long time." 

For as long as Brighton have been a Premier League side, captain Lewis Dunk has been the heartbeat of the setup; this has been "his" Brighton team. But Gross’ increased influence on this iteration, thanks in part to his suitability to De Zerbi’s style, has seen him elevated to something close to Dunk’s status. 

The game flows through him. He conducts a midfield that hogs possession and territory, averaging 59.8% of the ball per league game - the second-highest mark, behind only Manchester City themselves. He and Dunk are top three in the league for total touches per game, behind only Rodri.  

To think this all comes from a simple £3m signing from Ingolstadt, one greeted with indifference or even dismissal from the wider world when it happened. Gross is operating proof that value is out there - should you only care to look.