Timely recognition or long overdue? How Gross is proving all-time bargain

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross has been named Premier League player of the month for September, prompting renewed attention on his long-term value to the club. The 35-year-old has been involved in 85 Premier League goals across two spells at Brighton and, according to the report, has effectively cost the club a net minus £3m after his 2017 move from Ingolstadt, his 2024 departure to Borussia Dortmund and his return to Brighton in January.

The article says Gross has been directly influential this season, with six goal involvements in five league games and more top-flight goal contributions than any other player so far. BBC Sport also notes that he has created more chances than any other Premier League player this season, helping Brighton sit third in the table. Over the wider period since his first arrival, only a handful of players have created more chances in the division, and Gross is also among the league’s leading creators of crosses and passes into the box.

The piece includes praise from former players and commentators who describe him as technically strong, tactically intelligent and highly important in the dressing room. It also gives context for his career path, including his brief spell back in Germany and his rapid return to Brighton, where he has remained ever-present this season. BBC Sport frames the debate as whether his recognition is timely or overdue, but presents him as one of Brighton’s most effective and cost-efficient Premier League signings.