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Alireza Jahanbakhsh pays the price for Potter’s lack of magic

Jahanbakhsh Potter

Try as Alireza Jahanbakhsh might, he just hasn’t been able to hold down a starting position at the Amex Stadium during his time at Brighton and Hove Albion. Jahanbakhsh joined the Seagulls on the 25th of July 2018 in what is still today the club’s all-time record transfer. The South Coast club paid Dutch side AZ Alkmaar a fee of £17m for the Iranian’s services but over the two years that have followed, the 27-year-old has managed just 36 appearances. Why haven’t both parties enjoyed the relationship that they thought they would?

In hindsight, you could have predicted that there may well be unsettled times ahead for Jahanbakhsh after Chris Hughton, the manager that brought him to the club was sacked by Brighton in the summer of 2019. The Iranian winger was all of a sudden in a position where the man who had put his faith in him and asked the club to fork out a record sum for his services was no longer around. In one fell swoop, Jahanbakhsh fell down the pecking order and back into the bun fight to get noticed that occurs once a new manager comes in, with everyone desperate to catch the new coach’s eye.

Jahanbakhsh became a small fish in a big pond

A year on from Graham Potter’s appointment and it regrettably appears that the new Brighton boss has overlooked Jahanbakhsh, with the winger registering just ten Premier League appearances during the 2019/2020 campaign, compared to 19 the season before under Hughton. The stats tell a story and that is Jahanbakhsh’s Brighton career is regressing under the management of Graham Potter.

But is that really an indictment of a player who scored Brighton’s goal of the season? This is hardly a club that is setting the league alight so you do wonder why the manager hasn't explored every option available to him.

Indeed, whatever way you look at it, the Seagulls are barely keeping their heads above water in the Premier League and seem to always face a desperate fight to retain their status in England’s top flight. The hard times look set to continue at the Amex over the next 12 months as they find themselves at odds of 7/2 to be relegated during the 2020/2021 season. Their inconsistent form in 2019/20 and their loss of bite in midfield, with players like Aaron Mooy already leaving the club, have seen many bettors using introductory free bet bonuses to back them for relegation, without worrying about their outlay. While the Seagulls do look somewhat weak by Premier League standards, a strong end to the season has left many uncertain as to their true credentials.

Potter unwilling to let Jahanbakhsh weave his magic

The feeling among Brighton fans is that Jahanbakhsh hasn’t been afforded the opportunity to make his career at the Amex a success. It is a soft accusation that isn’t begrudgingly aimed at Potter but Jahanbakhsh’s lack of game time does fall squarely at the feet of the Seagulls manager. Now, the Brighton fans aren’t demanding that the 27-year-old winger plays and are far from protesting at his absence, but as a potential move to Ajax draws closer, there is a feeling of regret amongst the Amex faithful at what could have been.

Now, should the Iranian’s time as a Seagull draw to a disappointing close and he then subsequently goes onto light up another league, there will be serious questions asked of Potter’s ability to spot talent as well as his skill in developing players.

Will Jahanbakhsh outlast his manager?

Interestingly, there is already a faint murmur of frustration linked to the 45-year-old’s potential to spot emerging talent that suggests Jahanbakhsh could well have been hard done by. The situation in question involves Brighton’s Ben White who was sent out on loan to Leeds United last season. White would end up playing every minute of the season for the Whites as Marcelo Bielsa’s men romped to the league title by ten points. Ask any Leeds United fan and they will tell you that the 22-year-old played one of the most integral roles in the season.

Leeds were so sold on White’s ability that they submitted three separate transfer bids - the highest totalling £25m - that were all rejected by Brighton. The Seagulls have subsequently slapped a price tag of around £40m on a player who grew the most under Leeds’ manager Bielsa. It seems a certainty that the centre-back will go on to play for England and you’d imagine that serious questions have been asked around the Brighton boardroom as to why he hadn’t been included sooner. It really does feel like Potter happened on White's true potential thanks to the work the Leeds coaching staff put in.

As mentioned, the Brighton boss hasn’t always been the best judge of footballing ability.

With all the evidence on the table, there could well be a strong case to suggest that Alireza Jahanbakhsh has found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, under a manager that seems to have a fast-approaching expiry date on his time at Brighton. Regrettably, by the time that happens, Jahanbakhsh’s Premier League dream will probably have come to an end.