Georginio Rutter completed a £40m move to Brighton in the summer as The Seagulls’ club-record signing from Leeds United, just 18 months after joining Leeds in January 2023.
It comes after a wonderful 2023-24 campaign in a Leeds shirt where the Frenchman became a favourite among Leeds supporters. Clocking up a huge 51 appearances for The Whites, he had a hand in 24 goals.
Struggling initially at Leeds during the first six months after his arrival in January 2023, Rutter showed why the club paid £35m to sign him from Hoffenheim during last season as Leeds reached the play-off final.
In the summer, Rutter surprised many by joining Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray in leaving Leeds for a big-money fee. Leeds rejected two bids from Brighton for Rutter before accepting the £40m move.
On Sunday, the Brighton addition was handed his second Premier League start for The Seagulls as they took on Nottingham Forest and he lasted 70 minutes of his side’s 2-2 draw at The Amex.
Brighton fans have their say on Rutter’s start following Leeds exit
Rutter was handed substitute appearances against Arsenal and Manchester United before winning his first start in Brighton’s draw with Ipswich. Rutter failed to score or assist against Kalvin Phillips’ new club.
On Sunday, he made little impact against Forest and again, failed to provide a telling contribution in the final third. Brighton’s media said Rutter “took too many touches” when he had the chance in front of goal.
Brighton fans have had their say on X following Rutter’s latest outing and the overwhelming feeling is that the Frenchman has failed to have the impact they had expected at this early stage from Rutter.
One fan said that Rutter was “nowhere near good enough”, while another supporter even suggested that Rutter is “trying too hard to score”. Something Leeds fans will appreciate.
One disgruntled even compared him to former Brighton striker Leon Best in his post on X.
Another Brighton fan also compared Rutter to Jurgen Locadia, one of the biggest flops in Brighton’s history. He even claimed Rutter was a “waste of money” at this early stage. One said, “Rutter isn’t it.”
Rutter’s Brighton stats vs Forest in second start after Leeds exit
Rutter’s five shots was more than any other player on Sunday, while he was dispossessed on two occasions. Below is a summary of his stats from Sunday’s 2-2 draw, as he struggled to make an impact.
Rutter’s stats v Forest:
- Shots: 5, 0 on target
- Dispossessed/unsuccessful touches: 3
- Passing: 26 passes, 4 unsuccessful
- Key passes: 1
- Dribbles: 2
On Sunday, he was used as a no.10 for the first time since joining Brighton. It was arguably his best display for Brighton so far, given the freedom to do his thing which saw him shine in a Leeds shirt.
Against Ipswich, he was used as one of two strikers in a 4-4-2 system and with the game ending 0-0, it is impossible to say it worked. As a sub against Manchester United and Arsenal, he played wide right.
It is fair to say then, that Hurtzeler is yet to work out where Rutter can be used best in this Brighton side. But it is still very early and there is every chance that Rutter will go on to shine for The Seagulls.
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