Brighton & Hove Albion have completed the signing of Anthony Knockaert, who Chris Hughton feels is an ideal player for their bid for promotion.
The Seagulls enjoyed a club record 21-match unbeaten run in the Championship earlier this season, until a festive-time 3-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough brought them crashing down to earth. They have picked up just one point from their subsequent three fixtures, which includes two more losses in front of their own fans against Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
All this means Brighton have now slipped to fourth in the league table, and whilst they are still very much in the shake-up for promotion, they are now four points adrift of second-placed Derby County. But Hughton will now hope the addition of Knockaert, who has signed from Standard Liege on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, can revive their season.
“He is a different type of player to the wide players we have here; he can play in three positions,” he told the official club website. “He is a very good technical player, and has experience of the Championship, in 4-4-2 system, and he is used to having a responsibility in the wide areas – but mostly it is what he can bring us offensively in terms of goals and assists.”
Knockaert began his career in his homeland of France with Guingamp, where he spent three years before moving to Leicester City in 2012. During his time with the Foxes he helped them win promotion to the Premier League, and played nine times in the top-flight last term. He joined Standard on a free transfer last summer, and scored seven goals in 27 appearances for the Belgians.
