Pervis Estupinan completed his move from Watford to Villarreal yesterday, although he could have become a Brighton player had things worked out differently.
Spanish media outlet El Comercio reported [via Sport Witness] that the Seagulls had made an offer for the left-back. However, despite the La Liga outfit offering him a lower salary than Brighton, the 22-year-old opted for Unai Emery’s team because they can offer Europa League football this season.
Perversely, despite being on Watford’s books since 2017, the Ecuador defender has no experience of English football and is far more accustomed to La Liga. He has been on loan to Almeria, Real Mallorca and Osasuna over the last three seasons, making 91 appearances for that trio.
He proved to be a decent attacking outlet for the latter last season, contributing seven assists in all competitions from left-back and averaging 1.2 key passes and 1.6 successful dribbles per game.
Estupinan is also solid defensively, winning 2.3 tackles per game in 2019/20 – more than any player at Brighton – along with boasting a match average of 1.6 interceptions.
Aside from those qualities, he could also have added depth to a position where Graham Potter very much needs it – Bernardo is the only natural left-back in the Seagulls squad and he has been linked with a move to West Ham recently, with Dan Burn often shunting over to that role from his customary centre-back position.
Estupinan certainly seems like he would have been an ideal purchase for Brighton, as he would not only have added some welcome left-back depth but could also have made a discernible impact on the team, judging by his 2019/20 statistics.
Unfortunately, he has now completed his move to Villarreal for understandable football-based reasons, leaving the Seagulls to wonder what might have been.
Brighton fans, how disappointed are you that Estupinan has gone to Villarreal? Comment below with your views!
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