Brighton & Hove Albion have completed the signing of Getafe striker Adrian Colunga for an undisclosed fee.
The Seagulls finished sixth in the Championship under Oscar Garcia last season, but were unable to negotiate their way through the playoffs were they lost to Derby County in the semi-final. Having tended his resignation after that blow, the Spaniard was replaced with former Bayer Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia during the summer.
Tasked with leading Brighton to another top-six finish this time round, the Finn didn’t get off to a good start having overseen successive defeats in his first two matches. However, there has been an upturn in results over the past few days, with the 2-0 win at Leeds United last Tuesday being followed by a 2-1 home triumph over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
In attendance at the Amex Stadium for the latter was Colunga, who was the subject of a successful bid beforehand. The 29-year-old then had his medical with Albion, who have now confirmed that the striker has been added to their squad after he agreed a contract which is designed to keep him at the club until the summer of 2016.
“Adrian is another very skilful, technical player, who is good on the ball, capable of scoring goals and will create chances for others,” Hyypia is quoted as saying on the Sky Sports website. “He has the experience of playing at the highest level in Spain, having worked his way up through the Spanish leagues, and he will add to our attacking options.”
Colunga began his career at Sporting Gijon, but only actually played for their first team when he returned for a loan spell in 2012. Prior to this, he had loan spells at Turon, Marino (twice), and Ceares. He joined Soledad for a brief spell in 2006, and then spent a season at Pajara Playas and one at Las Palmas, before joining Recreativo. After an impressive loan spell at Zaragoza, he joined Getafe in 2010, going on to score 17 goals in 82 league appearances.
Brighton fans, are you impressed with your new signing? Do you think he can help you challenge for another top-six finish? Let us know what you think by joining in the discussion below!
