TNT pundit gushes about West Brom loanee Jeremy Sarmiento following his ‘difficult’ circumstances at Brighton.
According to Adam Virgo, Jeremy Sarmiento’s loan move from Brighton to West Brom “could only benefit both parties” because he would be “impossible” to earn game time at the Amex.
The TNT commentator waxed lyrical over the 21-year-old in the Football League Paper (10 September, pg 27), suggesting Sarmiento is a “really, really good player” and that the “big move” to the Hawthorns might help his development.
Sarmiento’s quickness, technical skill, and positional adaptability were commended by Virgo, but the wealth of offensive talent in Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side means his loan move might be crucial.
It’s time to shine.
Sarmiento has an excellent opportunity to make a case for De Zerbi during his loan stay at West Brom, and the Baggies could use a player of his caliber producing at a high level.
With only 12 appearances at the Amex last season, the Ecuadorian international’s game time was limited. But Carlos Corberan has already given him plenty of chances, with six outings in all competitions and a league goal to his record.
However, Sarmiento’s current role under Corberan is often as a substitute, therefore he is yet to have a solid run of starts to show himself to both the Hawthorns crowd and his parent club.
However, Sarmiento’s shoulder will be under a lot of strain. Brighton appears to improve with each transfer window, despite frequently selling its best players, so competition for a spot in the team, let alone the starting XI, will be fierce in Sussex.
Brighton has also proven to be transfer wizards, so if Sarmiento performs well but not well enough for De Zerbi’s European trophy-chasing side, a reasonable sum might be negotiated.
But, if Sarmiento wants to disrupt Brighton’s starting lineup, he’ll need to have a career-best season, and the Hawthorns could be the perfect venue to accomplish it.
In unrelated West Brom news, during the international break, Irish tabloids reacted to Jayson Molumby’s performance against France.
