THERE’S a very good chance Pascal Gross (£4.3m) is the most underrated player in the Premier League.
The 32-year-old is into his seventh season on English soil and is therefore not a blooming young talent or a newly-discovered gem but he is an ultra reliable, adaptable footballer.
Capped by Germany for the first time just a four months ago, Gross is capable of playing anywhere in midfield and can even fill it at full-back when required.
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Overdue appreciation[/caption]
An accomplished technician and one of the league’s better set-piece takers, he ticks a lot of boxes and deserves heaps of credit for taking his game to another level under Roberto De Zerbi at the back end of his career.
Gross’ goal involvements have gone through the roof since the Italian tactician took up residence in the Amex dugout, a development that has increased his Dream Team viability tenfold.
At the time of writing, Brighton’s No13 is the sixth-best asset in his position having amassed 146 points.
The list of midfielders below him in the rankings includes Martin Odegaard (£4.7m), Bruno Fernandes (£4.9m), Cole Palmer (£3.6m), Dominik Szoboszlai (£3.7m), Declan Rice (£3.6m) and several other popular stars.
Gross’ relatively meagre ownership of 1.6% is evidence of the fact he is underappreciated because his other numbers are impressive.
The Seagulls’ favourite has registered 64 points across nine fixtures since the start of Gameweek 14.
To put that into perspective, Dream Team’s top midfielder, the 52.1%-owned Bukayo Saka (£6.1m), has provided 57 points in the same time frame.
A match made in Dream Team heaven[/caption]Additionally, only six midfielders have earned more bonus points than Gross’ 25 at this stage of campaign.
However you spin it, it’s clearly an injustice that he’s currently being overlooked by 98.4% of Dream Team gaffers.
But it’s not too late!
Granted, Brighton aren’t among the ten teams with two games to fulfil in Gameweek 20 but his fixtures appear relatively friendly across the next two months more generally.
De Zerbi’s side face Wolves, Luton, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Everton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest in their next eight league meetings.
They’re due to play the Blades again in the FA Cup fourth round and they’ll also resume their Europa League campaign in February.
If Gross, who has four goals and nine assists to his name this term, maintains his current form then there’s surely plenty of points to be had in the coming weeks.
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