TNT pundit gushes over West Brom loan star Jeremy Sarmiento after ‘impossible’ situation at Brighton
Jeremy Sarmiento’s loan move from Brighton to West Brom “could only benefit both parties” as it would be “impossible” for him to get game time at the Amex, according to Adam Virgo.
Writing in the Football League Paper (10 September, pg 27), the TNT pundit waxed lyrical about the 21-year-old, claiming there’s a “really, really good player” in Sarmiento and the “big move” to the Hawthorns could go a long way in his development.
Virgo praised Sarmiento’s pace, technical ability and positional versatility, but the abundance of attacking talent in Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side means his loan move could prove significant.
Time to shine
Sarmiento has the perfect opportunity to make a case for De Zerbi during his loan spell at West Brom, while the Baggies could certainly do with a player of his ilk performing at a high level.
Game time was few and far between for the Ecuadorian international, with just 12 total appearances last season at the Amex. But Carlos Corberan has provided him with plenty of opportunities already, with six appearances in all competitions, and even a league goal to his name.
That being said, Sarmiento’s current role under Corberan is often off the bench, so he is yet to have a good run of starts to prove himself to both the Hawthorns faithful and his parent club.
The pressure will be heavy on Sarmiento’s shoulder though. Brighton seemingly gets better and better after each transfer window despite often selling their top players, so the competition will be stiff in Sussex for a place in the squad, let alone the starting XI.
Brighton has also proved themselves masters of transfers, so if Sarmiento performs well, but not well enough for De Zerbi’s European trophy-chasing side, then a decent fee could be negotiated.
But if Sarmiento has ambitions to disrupt Brighton’s starting lineup, a career-best season is needed from the youngster, and the Hawthorns could be the ideal place to do it.
In other West Brom news, Irish newspapers have reacted to Jayson Molumby’s performance against France during the international break.