The crossroads for a professional player is that moment when a delicate choice is necessary. It’s about taking the right path when several routes are available. We can safely say that Olivier Boscagli took the wrong route this summer. At the end of his contract last summer at PSV Eindhoven of which he was one of the pillars, sometimes even the captain, and where he revealed himself at the highest level (204 matches played, 11 goals, 13 assists in 6 years), the defender decided to take the direction of the Premier League and join Brighton, he who was in the little papers of OM.
The former Nice player undoubtedly thought he would use his Dutch and even European experience (53 European Cup matches) to blend into the Seagulls collective, within the most powerful championship in the world. A little over 5 months after his signing until 2030, the Frenchman has still not tasted a single minute of the Premier League. He spent the first 11 days on the sidelines watching his teammates put together some pretty decent results. Before the Brentford reception this Saturday (4 p.m.), Brighton occupies 11th place.
Still no minutes in the Premier League
The club has certainly lost against Everton, Bournemouth and more recently against Manchester United, it has also beaten big guns like Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle. The hinge composed of Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk gives satisfaction to Fabian Hürzeler. “Olivier Boscagli is a competitor. He must compete with the other two central defendersexplained the young (32-year-old) German coach last month at a press conference. He must be ready to come into play in the event of injury or suspension, in order to be physically and mentally ready to start a match.»
Boscagli still played all three League Cup matches, until the elimination against Arsenal at the end of October. He even scored in the first round against Oxford. But in the championship, the native of Monaco did not have the slightest opportunity. Worse still, he seems to be 4th in the hierarchy since Diego Coppola, who also arrived this summer for €11 million from Hellas Verona, came into play three times, each time at the end of the match to preserve the score by taking the place of Yankuba Minteh, a winger, and adding a defensive element.
Supporters wonder
“It’s not an easy situation for himrecognizes Hürzeler. I talked about it with him: he must make sure he trains well, respects our principles and adheres to our culture. That’s the main thing. All the players who arrived here knew that they had to adapt, that they needed time to adapt to our principles and our style of play. Then, when the time comes, they have to take their chance, and that is Olivier’s current situation. The situation still raises questions, particularly among supporters who saw him do well against Arsenal despite the defeat in the EFL Cup.
Some even expected to see him start the game in the following Premier League match against Leeds. It is clear that number 21 once again sat on the bench for 90 minutes. “Of course it’s not satisfying for him, but it’s the realityconceded the coach. I am sure he will handle the situation very professionally. He is an experienced player and I am sure he will be ready to play for us whenever he gets the chance. He will then play an important role.” We still have to convince him to stay in a club where he doesn’t play. His name is starting to come back on the Turkish side in particular…
