Brighton centre-back Lewis Dunk already looks a natural fit for the Premier League – if only Newcastle United had met their £10m asking price last year.
If Ben Gibson and Michael Keane were able to overcome the seemingly time-honoured handicap of playing for one of the top flight’s more unfashionable clubs to earn recognition from the England national team, there’s no reason why Lewis Dunk should not expect a phone call from Gareth Southgate at some point this season.
The long-serving Brighton and Hove Albion defender is as close as you could possibly get to John Terry in the modern day Premier League, combining the willingness to throw any body part in front of a flying ball with underrated technical and passing ability.
With the likes of Gibson and Michael Keane valued at around £30 million in today’s market, you wonder whether Dunk is one impressive Premier League season away from being priced at a similar figure.
With The Chronicle reporting in the summer of 2016 that Newcastle United were interested in the centre-back, his impressive performances in the early weeks of this Premier League season only exacerbates the feeling that Newcastle should have pulled out all the stops to land the Brighton man.
The report added that Brighton slapped a £10 million price tag on Dunk a year ago – but that will look like peanuts compared to his valuation if he maintains his excellent start to life in the top flight.
When you consider that Newcastle spent £10 million combined on high-profile flops Matz Sels and Grant Hanley last summer, you wonder whether the club would have been better off stumping up Brighton’s asking price for one of the most promising English defenders around.
Because, this time next year, we could be talking about Dunk the £30 million England international.
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