Kaoru Mitoma could’ve made Liverpool transfer – ‘Source of regret’.
Liverpool’s former director of research, Ian Graham, has explained how he regrets not signing Brighton & Hove Albion’s star winger Kaoru Mitoma for the Reds before he came to the Premier League.
Ian Graham, Liverpool’s former director of research, has detailed how he wishes he had pushed the Reds to sign Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma prior to him signing for the Seagulls.
Back in August 2021, Brighton announced the signing of the Japanese star from Kawasaki Frontale for $3.2m (£2.5m/€3m), with Mitoma then being sent out on loan to Union Saint-Gilloise, a club part owned by Seagulls owner Tony Bloom. Following a season in Belgium, Mitoma returned to Brighton, enjoying an incredible season during the 2022/23 campaign which saw the Seagulls finish sixth.
Mitoma played a huge part in helping Brighton qualify for the Europa League, scoring 10 goals and registering eight assists in all competitions. Given the relatively cheap outlay Brighton spent on the now 27-year-old, the performances he produced were nothing short of miraculous in his debut Premier League campaign.
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And while he struggled with injuries last term, Graham has revealed in his new book, ‘How to Win the Premier League: The Inside Story of Football’s Data Revolution’, he wished he had lobbied the Reds harder to sign Mitoma.
“At Liverpool we admired both Brentford and Brighton’s signings, though we never told them that,” Graham wrote. “Me and my colleague Daf Steele used to keep lists of players who looked outstanding in their domestic leagues but were either not quite good enough for Liverpool or played in a style that didn’t fit ours…
“Brighton also signed players on our radar. Pascal Gross performed at an above-average Premier League level while playing in the second division of the Bundesliga, and has played at that level for years for Brighton. Enock Mwepu was the best young midfielder in Austria…
