Chris Hughton expects summer signings to still play a big part this season

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton expects the club's summer signings to play a big part throughout the rest of the season.
Chris Hughton. Picture by PW Sporting PhotographyChris Hughton. Picture by PW Sporting Photography
Chris Hughton. Picture by PW Sporting Photography

Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Yves Bissouma, Florin Andone, Martin Montoya, Bernardo, Leon Balogun, David Button and Jason Steele all joined in the summer but have started a combined total of just 16 league matches between them this season.

Montoya leads the way with six Premier League starts, Jahanbakhsh and Bissouma have both made four, while Bernardo and Balogun have one each.

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Hughton expects the summer arrivals to all still have a part to play this season but pointed out the competition for places in the squad.

He said: "They're all different circumstances.

"A progress of new players can be down to so many things - a settling in period, how well the team is doing, what position they play and so.

"Sometimes it's about the form of the players and in say Andone's situation, he came with an injury, had a couple of little problems which stopped his progress being as quick as he would have liked.

"Bernardo is a real talent at left-back and has got a bright future for us but my choices have been a little bit different.

"That can happen.

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"If the team is doing well - and we've started okay - then sometimes you don't make those changes.

"I fully expect the new players we brought in during the summer to play a big part this season."

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