[Albion] Mats Wieffer SINGS on 5 year contract

[NigelTaylor82]

Weiffer’s best position is in midfield he is a very good player.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Interesting but Moises Caicedo did not struggle. According to ChatGTP:

Moisés Caicedo had a significant, though brief, impact with Brighton during the 2021/22 Premier League season. Here's a breakdown of his influence:

1. Breakthrough and Timing​

• Caicedo didn’t feature in the first half of the season; he was on loan at Beerschot (Belgium) until January 2022.
• Brighton recalled him in January due to midfield injuries and needs.
• He made his Premier League debut in April 2022 against Arsenal, where he provided an assist and put in a standout performance in a 2–1 win.

2. Performances and Role​

• From April onwards, Caicedo became a key starter, forming a solid midfield duo with Yves Bissouma.
• He was praised for his defensive awareness, ball-winning ability, composure under pressure, and mature decision-making.
• He started 8 of Brighton’s final 9 league matches, and Brighton lost only once in that stretch (to Manchester City).

3. Statistical Impact​

• While he didn't score any goals in the league (he did score in an FA Cup match vs Leicester), his defensive metrics(tackles, interceptions, and recoveries) were strong.
• Brighton's form improved notably with him in the side — they finished 9th, a then-club record in the Premier League.

4. Legacy for 2021/22​

• Despite the limited appearances (8 league games), his performances were impactful enough to establish him as a core player for the next season.
• His maturity and level of play at just 20 years old were seen as a major success for Brighton’s scouting and development model.

And Bissouma did struggle. Again from ChatGTP:

Yves Bissouma had a promising but inconsistent impact in his first season at Brighton (2018/19) after joining from Lille for around £15 million. Here's a breakdown of how he performed:

---

1. Settling Period​

• Bissouma needed time to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
• He was mainly used as a squad player under Chris Hughton, starting only 10 Premier League games (out of 28 appearances).
• His role was often from the bench, typically playing as a box-to-box midfielder or defensive support.

---

2. Strengths and Style​

• Showed glimpses of:
  • Ball-carrying ability and physical strength
  • Press resistance — comfortable dribbling out of tight spaces
  • Defensive energy and willingness to tackle
• However, his decision-making and positional discipline were still developing.

---

3. Impact and Influence​

• Brighton finished 17th, narrowly avoiding relegation.
• Bissouma’s impact wasn't transformative, but he added athleticism and depth to the midfield.
• One highlight was a long-range goal in the FA Cup vs Bournemouth — a sign of his potential.

---

4. Summary of First Season​

• Rating: A solid debut season for a young midfielder transitioning from Ligue 1.
• Showed potential rather than consistent high-level performance.
• Became more important in subsequent seasons under Graham Potter, where his tactical game matured and he became one of Brighton’s most valuable players.

Yeah, the first report I got said Wieffer made a good initial start, so I went back and ask it to check its answers by using match ratings from sofascore.com as a reference. But that too could be subjective.

It's safe to say though that Wieffer has definitely got better as the season progressed.

 

[aolstudios]

He was inconsistent, but you could see his potential from the off.

Absolutely.
But his mistakes were comical. & regular.
But he never stopped smiling

 

[Gabbiano]

I've used AI to run a report to find empirical evidence if more players struggle than don't when adapting to Brightons midfield role. As expected Wieffer has struggled but is in good company in doing so.

Brighton Midfielders Initial Performance Report (2010–2025)​

Overview​

Analyzed match ratings from Sofascore.com for 17 Brighton holding/central midfielders (2010–2025) to assess initial struggles in their debut seasons. Focused on Mats Wieffer (2024–25) and compared with Moisés Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, and Carlos Baleba, with summaries for others.

Key Findings​

• Total Players: 17.
• Struggled Initially: 9 (53%).
• Did Not Struggle: 8 (47%).
• Criteria: Average rating <6.8, limited minutes (<70 per game), or issues (injuries, errors, loans) in first 5–10 matches.

Mats Wieffer (2024–25)​

• Data: 8 matches (August–November 2024).
• Average Rating: 6.81.
• Trend: Low ratings (6.2–6.7) early due to injury (vs. Everton) and error (vs. Man Utd). Rises to 6.9–7.3 by October–November, showing adaptation.
• Minutes: 62–90 per game.
• Conclusion: Struggled initially (first 4 matches, ≤6.7), confirming fan reports of early errors/confidence issues, but improved significantly.

Comparative Players​

• Moisés Caicedo (2021–22):
  • Average: 6.60.
  • Trend: 6.4–6.8, 28–70 minutes, loaned out.
  • Conclusion: Clear struggle.
• Alexis Mac Allister (2019–20):
  • Average: 6.54.
  • Trend: 6.3–6.8, 25–70 minutes.
  • Conclusion: Struggled.
• Carlos Baleba (2023–24):
  • Average: 6.65.
  • Trend: 6.3–7.0, 35–80 minutes.
  • Conclusion: Struggled early, improved.

Full List​

• Struggled (9): Wieffer, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Mwepu, Baleba, Ayari, Lallana, Moder, Alzate, Gilmour.
• Did Not Struggle (8): Bissouma, Stephens, Pröpper, Groß, Bridcutt, Kayal, Crofts.
• Pattern: Struggling players show low ratings (<6.8) early, rising after 5–10 matches. Non-struggling players maintain ~7.0+ from start.

Data Source​

• Sofascore.com for ratings (2015–2025).
• FBref.com, Transfermarkt for minutes and historical context (2010–2015).
• Limitations: Sparse data pre-2015 (e.g., Bridcutt, Crofts), relied on qualitative reports.

Conclusion​

Over half of Brighton’s midfielders struggled initially, often due to injuries (Wieffer, Mwepu), adaptation (Caicedo, Mac Allister), or competition (Ayari, Gilmour). Wieffer’s 2024–25 data shows a clear early struggle (6.2–6.7) but strong recovery (7.0–7.3), mirroring younger signings like Baleba. Veterans like Groß and Pröpper adapted quickest.

This is the problem that ChatGPT hasn't overcome: it scrapes sources from across the web and puts it together into something that looks authoritative but doesn't hold up to scrutiny. This is coherent but not accurate - because your prompt talked about "struggle" it's trying to fit all the players into this "struggling" bracket.

Several of those who are in the struggled list, didn't struggle, most prominently Caicedo.

Then of those who didn't struggle, Bissouma certainly took a while to get to top level. The others were from the Hughton era, so perhaps it's picking up on different language being used, because at that time we weren't talking about young players "struggling", or because expectations were lower.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

After careful consideration over my morning coffee, I’m now of the view that Wieffer and Baleba, as a midfield duo, will take us to Europe next season.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

After careful consideration over my morning coffee, I’m now of the view that Wieffer and Baleba, as a midfield duo, will take us to Europe next season.

Hopefully, we can make the conference league, and you can increase the optimism to dominating Europe.

I will certainly be taking the West Ham supporter approach, and should we win, will claim we are ‘champions of Europe’.

 

[trueblue]

I think right-back has been great for him. A chance to get properly up to speed with a bit more time on the ball, which has allowed him to win the fans over and also show he can play a bit when going forwards. Would like to see him get some minutes in midfield sooner or later. That said, with the modern way of playing, having a fullback with the skillset of a central midfielder maybe isn't the worst idea anyway.

 

[Bakero]

 

[London Irish]

Wieffer has regularly shown his quality this season. His problem is that some notable mistakes, such as the Wolves home game, have clouded some people’s opinion of him.

He’s been playing out of position and has done a job at right back but I still want to see him and Baleba as the two in midfield. I reckon that’s our most solid pairing and Wieffer gives us a level of control that we don’t have with any other midfield combination.

Against Newcastle for example, they kept picking the ball up behind our midfield and running at our defence. Those are exactly the sort of positions Wieffer takes up and would help protect the back four.

He was dragged off by Fab around 50-60 minutes last week because he was being constantly embarrassed by Newcastle and was about to lose us the game. We’re just meant to ignore the evidence of our lying eyes it seems.

He was better yesterday but another player who’s been regularly below par Estupian pretty much had his best game of the season. While we are handing out sympathy votes, other players deserve them too I reckon

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

He was dragged off by Fab around 50-60 minutes last week because he was being constantly embarrassed by Newcastle and was about to lose us the game. We’re just meant to ignore the evidence of our lying eyes it seems.

He was better yesterday but another player who’s been regularly below par Estupian pretty much had his best game of the season. While we are handing out sympathy votes, other players deserve them too I reckon

Was outstanding vs Newcastle as well.

 

[pigmanovich]

Was outstanding vs Newcastle as well.

Assisted our goal in that game, won us the pen in this weekend’s. Didn’t concede any goals with him on the pitch. Not a bad two games for Mats.

 

[London Irish]

Was outstanding vs Newcastle as well.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Not just Weiffer, but Gruda and O'Riley too. Everyone who comes to the P/L says how hard it is to adjust , but still we decide too early that they're not good enough.

Some decide, not all.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

He was dragged off by Fab around 50-60 minutes last week because he was being constantly embarrassed by Newcastle

Hinshelwood has also had some poor games when played out of position at right back.

Presumably he's also shit.

 

[aolstudios]

I think right-back has been great for him. A chance to get properly up to speed with a bit more time on the ball, which has allowed him to win the fans over and also show he can play a bit when going forwards. Would like to see him get some minutes in midfield sooner or later. That said, with the modern way of playing, having a fullback with the skillset of a central midfielder maybe isn't the worst idea anyway.

Agreed but we'll always need a specialist RB. Mats is better than Jack there but they both have to deal with all sorts of situations that Veltman would've cleared up & dealt with before they happened. A lot of full back play is about anticipation, positioning & experience, which a midfielder just won't have.
Like many on here I'm looking forward to a Baleba/Wieffer centered midfield

 

[London Irish]

Hinshelwood has also had some poor games when played out of position at right back.

Presumably he's also shit.

No Hinshelwood has been a model of consistency, really not sure what you mean by that. Technically a better player, much more mobile, makes far fewer errors. The helpful guide to that is how many times Hinsh has been preferred in centre mid

 

[Machiavelli]

No Hinshelwood has been a model of consistency, really not sure what you mean by that. Technically a better player, much more mobile, makes far fewer errors. The helpful guide to that is how many times Hinsh has been preferred in centre mid

Nope. I'm a great fan of Jack, but he had a run of poor games at RB and the opposition targeted that side. That coincided with our bad run. We've since improved and starting Wieffer there has contributed to that.

 

[London Irish]

Nope. I'm a great fan of Jack, but he had a run of poor games at RB and the opposition targeted that side. That coincided with our bad run. We've since improved and starting Wieffer there has contributed to that.

Hinsh has been preferred in centre mid. When Baleba wasn’t available, Fab even preferred Ayari as the deep lying centre mid. Even a newcomer like Gomez gets more game time there. Yes we aren’t Chelsea, we arent a club that can afford to write off 25 million so Wieffer gets minutes due to injuries

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

View attachment 201607

BTW - that was also aimed at Estupinan, who after the last 3 poor games in a row, has turned up for the last couple.

 

[Machiavelli]

BTW - that was also aimed at Estupinan, who after at last 3 poor games in a row, has turned up for the last couple.

Yup. He was great yesterday.