‘We all know’ – Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler responds to Joao Pedro question amid Arsenal and Liverpool transfer link…
Fabian Hurzeler gives Joao Pedro verdict
Brighton will be without star striker Joao Pedro for two more matches following his red card at Brentford.
Pedro received a straight red card during Albion’s 4-2 loss at the Gtech Community Stadium after his clash with Bees defender Nathan Collins.
The Brazilian striker missed yesterday’s clash with West Ham at the Amex Stadium and will also be unavailable for next Saturday’s home match against Newcastle and the trip to Wolves.
The former Watford man should be available once again for selection for the final two matches of the Premier League season – against Liverpool (h) and Tottenham (a).
Pedro has 10 goals and six assists for Albion this term and continues to be linked with a major summer move to Arsenal or Liverpool.
His absence is a huge blow for head coach Fabian Hurzeler as Brighton make their late push for Europe.
“We all know it’s very frustrating,” said Hurzeler. “I said it after the game that he immediately apologised, he knew that he did something wrong.
Therefore we had a discussion with him, we shared with him that we don’t accept things like this.
“But also Joao is a young player, he makes mistakes and hopefully he learns from this mistake for his future.”
Pedro joined Brighton from the Hornets in 2023 for £30m and is contracted with the Seagulls until 2028. The 23-year-old has 30 goals and 10 assists from 70 outings in total.
For your next Albion read: Man United eye Brighton star and Tottenham want fiery ex-Brighton manager.
Striker Joao Pedro addresses Hull City future ahead of big transfer decision.
The experienced forward has a decision to make over the coming weeks.
Veteran striker Joao Pedro says all talk of his future at the MKM Stadium is on hold for now, with Hull City battling to stay in the Championship.
Pedro, who has bagged six goals this season since arriving on a free transfer back in September, is out of contract in the summer, though the Tigers do have a 12-month option.
All talk of new deals have been put on ice in recent weeks while City fight for their Championship survival, and that includes Pedro, who admits he has loved his spell at the club. But the forward remains cautious about what happens next in a career that has seen him represent Italy, and play for the likes of Fenerbahce, prior to his move to East Yorkshire.
City slipped into the bottom three after Saturday’s desperate 1-0 home loss to Derby County and know only victory at Portsmouth on Saturday assures their survival. Defeat on the South Coast would see the Tigers relegated to League One, and leave a flurry of questions over the future of their squad, including Pedro.
The 33-year-old has been a key figure for City, especially since the arrival of Ruben Selles, though he says no conversations have yet taken place given the current situation.
Saturday’s dismal 1-0 home loss to fellow strugglers Derby County saw City drop back into the bottom three for the first time since mid-February.
Hope still remains for City, and former Wycombe Wanderers skipper Joe Jacobson believes North End are the side in real peril going into the final day.
The Lillywhites have one just once in their last 14 games and have lost their last four, including the 2-1 defeat at City on Easter Monday. They face a Bristol City outfit gunning for a play-off place at Ashton Gate. Defeat for Preston and a point for the Tigers at Fratton Park, could send them down, if Luton get a result at West Brom.
“The last day is set up brilliantly, and that’s what the neutrals want anyway, going into the last day with three or four teams not knowing their fate,” Jacobson said on the EFL All Access podcast. “John Eustace took a big risk in going to Derby County. There was a lot of talk about why he went and he believes he can keep them in the Championship and at the minute, it looks like he’s going to do that.
“They were on the wrong end of a real tight game at home to Luton the week before, so it was really important they came out on the right side of a similar game against Hull City which has given them a little bit of a gap between the two teams.
“It’s going to go down right to the end. Ruben Selles at Hull (City), it’s been such a difficult job for him to go into. How much do they rue letting go of Liam Rosenior last year and the job that he could have potentially done. That’s another club, like we spoke about, Cardiff City, being mismanaged from the top and making decisions that aren’t right, and don’t have the right people in place to be making those decisions.
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