5 reasons why Brighton star Lewis Dunk can play in the Premier League

Brighton and Hove Albion continued their impressive run of form with a 2-0 away win at Bristol City on Saturday, which extended their unbeaten run to ten matches in the Championship.

Integral to their impressive recent run of form is centre-back Lewis Dunk who has been superb at the back for the Seagulls this season.

Shoot! look at five reasons that Dunk could play in the Premier League in the not too distant future…

Current Form

The 24-year-old’s form is something that the majority of centre-backs in this country would be rather envious of. Dunk’s clean sheet on Saturday was his 10th of the season despite only playing 15 league games.

Dunk’s displays have culminated in regular clean sheets for Albion which have proved to be incredibly important as they currently sit second in the Championship with by far the most impressive defensive record in the league.

His newly formed partnership with summer signing Shane Duffy has helped to prevent teams such as Norwich City and Huddersfield Town from beating goalkeeper David Stockdale in the Brighton net.

His average match rating is the highest of any centre-back in the division and is third in the entire league behind only team-mate Antony Knockaert and Barnsley skipper Conor Hourhane.

Previous Premier League Interest

Crystal Palace and West Brom were both heavily link with Dunk in the last transfer window.

The suggested fees in excess of £10m were not enough to tempt Brighton to part with the defender, who only signed a new contract in September to keep him on the south coast until the summer of 2021.

Age for a defender

Dunk may be 24-years-old, but when compared to those his senior, his composure in tight situations do not reveal his true age.

The current Albion defender has still the best part of a decade ahead of him to play at the highest standard, so Premier League clubs could be making a long-term investment if they were to sign him.

The likes of John Terry, Gareth McAuley and Phil Jagielka are all well into their 30’s and are still playing regular first-team football in one of the world’s biggest leagues.

Sure, Dunk isn’t a young academy player coming through the ranks, but with over 150 Brighton appearances to his name, he has the experience required for a long-lasting career in the Premier League.

Ball Playing Centre-Half

This cliché is often used to describe modern day centre-backs such as John Stones, who have the capability to defend, as well as playing controlled passing football at the same time. So far this term, statistics suggest that Dunk can be categorised as a ‘ball playing defender’.

Compared to the other top three centre backs in the Championship, Dunk’s passing statistics particularly stand out. On average he makes considerably more passes a game compared to the other in form Championship centre backs; Pontus Jannson, Tom Clarke and Christophe Berra.

His passing accuracy is 79.5% in the league this term which is a percentage a lot of midfielders would be envious of. His percentage is even higher than players such as Christian Eriksen and Dimitri Payet who have had a lot of their career success based around their passing ability.

Brighton’s Premier League Chances

Brighton and Hove Albion are currently the only team putting any form of pressure on league leaders Newcastle United.

Chris Hughton’s men are only three points behind the Magpies so far and their win over Bristol City moved them five points clear of third, cementing their place in the top two.

The Seagulls were heavily praised by defeated City manager Lee Johnson, who after Saturday’s match said, “We were playing against a top side,” proving that they are both a feared and respected team in the division.

With Brighton missing out on automatic promotion due to goal difference, could this be the season they finally make the leap up to the Premier League?

If Brighton are to challenge for promotion, it is clear that they will want to keep star defender Dunk for as long as physically possible.

Therefore, Dunk’s contribution in their current run of form is vital to his side’s Premier League dream.

If he continues this vein of form, whether it’s in a Brighton shirt or not, Dunk could very likely be playing in the top-flight come next season.