Graham Potter believes Neal Maupay insists £15m man not ‘desperate to leave’ Brighton and Hove Albion as Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, Everton and Fulham queue up for the £15 million striker, speaking to The Argus.
This one looked like a bit of a foregone conclusion.
Maupay was left out of Brighton’s squad for the 0-0 draw with Newcastle United last week. A move to Nottingham Forest appeared to be edging ever closer and, post-game, Potter omitted the Frenchman’s name when discussing the attacking options at his disposal.
Maupay, per The Athletic, has also spoken to Everton boss Frank Lampard, not to mention Fulham (Mail), even if Forest is understood to be his preferred destination.
Will Neal Maupay leave Brighton and Hove Albion this month?
But, ahead of Brighton’s meeting with West Ham United on Sunday, Potter did not – as many had expected – confirm Maupay’s imminent departure from The Amex. In fact, he did precisely the opposite.
“I don’t think Neal (Maupay) is desperate to leave,” Potter explains. “We are not kicking him out of the door.
“From a personal perspective he has helped me become a better coach and what he has done for us in the last three years is clear.”
Maupay, Brighton’s all-time record Premier League goalscorer, may be in the squad when West Ham come to town. Does this mean he’s staying? Or his Potter simply determined to make the best possible use of his squad?
Maupay’s poachers instinct certainly could have come in handy during one of those Brighton performances last time out; Failing to turn chances into goals against Newcastle.
Nottingham Forest, today, made Morgan Gibbs-White their 16th – and most expensive – signing of the summer. A new centre-forward is still on the radar, however. Hwang Ui Jo is another target but he is holding out for Wolves instead.
Everton, meanwhile, face a race against time as they look to bring in some much-needed support for the beleaguered Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Toffees have barely posed a threat thus far in his injury-enforced absence.
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