Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has refused to select Joao Pedro for their final match of the season against Tottenham on Sunday despite the Seagulls’ European hopes hanging in the balance
Joao Pedro won’t be in Brighton’s squad to face Tottenham on Sunday as the fallout from his training ground altercation with team-mate Jon Paul van Hecke continues.
The £30m striker was a surprise omission from Albion’s teamsheet for the 3-2 win against Liverpool on Monday, with news of the bust-up only revealed after the match. And Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler insists the Brazilian, who has 10 goals and seven assists this season, won’t travel to Spurs either.
Hurzeler confirmed: “Joao won’t be in the squad. We had a small issue in training – a type which isn’t uncommon from time to time in all football clubs. We dealt with it internally and the matter is closed.
“Joao is an incredible football player. He’s a match-winner for us and he’s a great player. That’s why we invested in him. But there are principles, they are non-negotiable and everyone has to abide by them. Everyone has to stick to them and I don’t make any compromises.”
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The hard line taken by Hurzeler has alerted a string of clubs who have been linked with Joao Pedro in the transfer market this month. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been mentioned in recent weeks and if Brighton decide to cash in there will certainly be takers.
However, Hurzeler says the player still has a future at Albion. He added: “Joao is still a young player and there’s still a lot of potential where he will grow, and I’m sure that he will learn from this and come back strong next season.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing him renewed and reinvigorated at his highest peak for us and that’s all I will say on this.” The incident comes at a bad time for Brighton because they head to Tottenham on Sunday still in with a chance to earn European football.
A win in north London, together with a Chelsea defeat at Nottingham Forest, could open up the route if the Blues go on to win the Conference League next week. But with Brentford also in with a chance if Brighton slip up, Hurzeler knows his team must stay focused.
He said: “The only thing we can influence is our result and our preparation for the game and that’s what we try to do. The other results we can’t influence, we try to focus on us.” One aspect in Brighton’s favour is that Tottenham ‘s players have clearly been enjoying their celebrations after winning the Europa League with a victory over Manchester United in Bilbao in midweek.
But Hurzeler was coy about any suggestion that would make life easier for his side. He said: “We don’t know. That’s one of the questions I was asked most in the last few hours, but my answer will be always the same.
“I can’t influence how they celebrate or how they will prepare for the game. The only things I can influence are how we prepare our team, and we will try to be the best prepared team we can be. That’s what our focus is on.” Brighton have no new injuries heading into the game and Lewis Dunk could be back in contention.
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