Adam Lallana has signed two contracts this summer. It is a sign of the esteem in which he is held at Liverpool that they extended his deal by a month, at some cost to themselves, to ensure that one of Anfield’s first bona fide Jurgen Klopp players remained at the club for their title celebrations.
The second, a three-year deal with Brighton & Hove Albion, is longer and may contain more footballing significance. Ambition has been evident in Sussex this season, but everything was predicated on Brighton staying in the Premier League.
They underwent a footballing revolution, from having the 17th highest share of possession in 2018-19 to the seventh, but relegation would have undermined a regime who rejected pragmatism and prosaicness.
Instead, a transformation continues with the recruitment of Lallana. His previous move cost Liverpool £25 million (Dh118m) even if two of the most influential managers of the current generation, in Mauricio Pochettino and Klopp, drew more from him than Brendan Rodgers, who authorised that fee.
His list of admirers amounts to a who’s who of people at the forefront of progressive thinking, the men who look to combine pressing with passing.
The former FA technical director Dan Ashworth has assumed the same role at Albion; Lallana was named England’s player of the year in 2016 and, had he been fully fit, would have probably assumed a key role in Gareth Southgate’s plans for the 2018 World Cup.
Graham Potter has acquired a purists’ player. Tellingly, the Brighton manager talked of Lallana’s “technical quality”. “A really exciting signing,” he said. “A perfect match,” added Lallana. This could be a meeting of minds.
In his profile and his wages, if not his transfer fee, he represents one of Brighton’s biggest signings. He also marks a change of policy. Albion have generally looked to the Dutch and Belgian leagues in search of invention, but they have had negligible returns from Alireza Jakanbakhsh, Jurgen Locadia and Jose Izquierdo. Attempts to find value in cheaper markets have backfired. A clearout of record buys may begin.
A creative contingent of Lallana, Pascal Gross, Aaron Mooy, Leandro Trossard and Alexis Mac Allister promises a better supply line to Neal Maupay and Aaron Connolly and Brighton most require improvement and incision in the final third.
Despite their transformation into a ball-playing team, they only scored 39 goals this season. Over three Premier League campaigns, they average under a goal a game.
In one respect, a player with a solitary strike in three years may seem an illogical addition in a bid to make a team more prolific. The concern is whether Lallana is the player of old. His major honours have come in the last 14 months but he peaked between 2012 and 2017.
He was one of the most important individuals in Klopp’s first 19 months at the helm, a catalyst who took them into two finals and the Champions League, but, because of injuries and upgrades, a bit-part player thereafter.
His last three years could be remembered for the autumn equaliser at Old Trafford that extended Liverpool’s unbeaten start or the rusty performance as a substitute when Mohamed Salah was injured in the 2018 Champions League final.
He has only started nine of Liverpool’s last 114 league games and, while Klopp is such a fan he tried to convert Lallana into a No 6 to give him a second opportunity to get into the team, that experiment was quietly abandoned.
The presumption is that Brighton will use Lallana further forward. His versatility in attacking areas will allow a flexible manager to shift shape at will.
Potter, Lallana said, has “changed the dynamics” at Albion. Now his own arrival with accelerate the change.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
SQUADS
Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed
Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
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SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
