Brighton may have pulled off one of the deals of the summer window by signing Aaron Mooy on loan from Huddersfield.
The Sydney-born midfielder seemed destined to enjoy a career in the English top flight after moving across continents as a youngster to sign as a youth scholar for Bolton.
He was offered a professional contract in 2010 but elected to leave the Lancashire club in search of regular first-team football.
St Mirren were prepared to offer that and he spent two years north of the border before returning to his homeland to link up with Western Sydney Wanderers.
A move to Melbourne City soon followed and he continued to blossom as he won the club’s Player of the Year award on two occasions.
It wasn’t surprising that Manchester City, who are part of the same group as Melbourne City, came knocking to lure him back to the northern hemisphere.
Mooy was shipped out to Huddersfield to continue his development and his energetic and combative performances earned the Terriers a shock promotion.
Finally, in 2017-18, having completed a permanent switch to the John Smith’s Stadium for £8million, Mooy got his first taste of action in the Premier League.
The 28-year-old was one of the first names on the teamsheet for boss David Wagner and it’s easy to see why when looking at his statistics.
Despite not being a playmaker, he still managed to chip in with four goals and three assists to further enhance his reputation.
Mooy was fifth in the rankings for tackles made over the course of 2017-18, just 11 behind N’Golo Kante in third, and he ended the term with a 59 per cent tackle success rate.
Graham Potter, who appears to have reinforced his squad wisely this summer, clearly feels Mooy can add a lot to the Seagulls as he looks to steer them well clear of relegation.
It’s not yet clear what formation Potter will favour over the course of the season, having gone with a 3-4-3 to claim a 3-0 win over Watford on the opening day, but Mooy has proven previously that he can be adaptable.
The Australia international could easily play in any of those three slots across the midfield, while he would also work well as a holding player in a 4-2-3-1, which was also utilised during pre-season by Potter.
Brighton will look to continue their fine start when they host West Ham on Saturday and Mooy could get the chance to make his debut for the south coast club.
Fellow new boy Neal Maupay started his Brighton career in impressive fashion with a goal from the bench last weekend and Mooy will undoubtedly want to follow suit.
Huddersfield smartly tied Mooy to a new three-year deal before allowing him to depart on loan, knowing that another good season in the top flight could have buyers lining up next summer.
