Garth Crooks has hailed Kaoru Mitoma whilst comparing the Brighton and Hove Albion ace to Tottenham Hotspur hero Son Heung-min.
Brighton headed away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon with Roberto Di Zerbi chasing another win.
Adam Lallana put Brighton ahead before Goncalo Guedes pulled Wolves level, with Ruben Neves then firing the hosts in front from the penalty spot.
Mitoma then headed Brighton level with Pascal Gross eventually winning it for Brighton as the Seagulls left Molineux with a 3-2 win.
Garth Crooks has hailed Kaoru Mitoma
Mitoma was just a constant threat throughout for Brighton.
The Japanese winger played the pass into Leandro Trossard to set up Lallana’s opener.
Mitoma then scored the second and beat Nelson Semedo with a lovely touch down the left flank, leading to the Wolves defender’s dismissal.
Mitoma then drove at the Wolves defence to set up Brighton’s winner, proving to be a menace throughout.
Two key passes, two tackles won, two successful dribbles, two aerial duels won and one goal; this was a great display from Mitoma.
Brighton actually signed Mitoma from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021 but sent him straight out on loan to sister club Union Saint-Gilloise.
The 25-year-old is now back at Brighton though and is already making a major impact under De Zerbi.
Pundit Garth Crooks has now told BBC Sport that he think Mitoma has everything to become a ‘top-class player’ in the years to come.
Crooks even suggested that Mitoma is ‘very similar’ in style to Tottenham star Son Heung-min, believing that Brighton have a real player on their hands.
Son has become arguably the greatest Asian player in Premier League history, so Mitoma has a long, long way to go to hit that kind of level, but he has started brilliantly.
“He played his part in the dismantling of Chelsea last week but Mitoma’s performance against Wolves was very impressive. The Japan international has all the ingredients of a top-class player,” said Crooks.
“Mitoma has a very similar game to Tottenham’s Son Heung-min. He is not afraid to take people on, can see the pass and wants to score goals. What sort of shape he’ll be in after the World Cup is anyone’s guess but, make no mistake, Brighton have a player here,” he added.
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