Two months after his record-breaking £13.5 million move to Brighton, Jose Izquierdo is set to make his full home debut for the seaside club against Southampton on Sunday. The Colombia international has enjoyed short cameo roles at the Amex thus far this season, but his remarkable first-half strike during the Seagulls' 3-0 victory at West Ham on Friday evening may have secured his spot in Chris Hughton's starting XI this weekend.
The ease in which the 25-year-old dipped past his marker before unleashing his effort past Joe Hart was typical of his bit-part impact in the Premier League to date.
Izquierdo's Albion initiation came during the club's 0-0 draw at Watford in August, replacing Solly March with 10 minutes to play. Though he had little time to introduce himself, the flamboyant winger fired a shot narrowly over Heurelho Gomes' goal before running the length of the pitch to make a weighty tackle in front of the travelling away support.
Prior to his debut, Izquierdo was sold as an extravagant forward outlet to inject some much-needed velocity into the Albion attack. At that moment, he showed he was ready to fight for his new club.
Ignoring a forgettable full debut at Arsenal at the start of October, Izquierdo has been relied on as a fall-back to March due to the latter's imposing start to the season, and in particular his defensive capacity. The England Under-21 international has been the mainstay on the left of the Albion attack, with Anthony Knockaert on the opposite flank, as a direct result of their relationship with full-backs Markus Suttner and Bruno.
Now, though, with a handful of Premier League appearances to his name, Izquierdo is forcing Hughton's hand.
“It’s about introducing him in the right games. It was a good opportunity to change things a little bit," Hughton said following the winger's strike against West Ham. "He’s got that ability as a right-footed player, coming inside. You never know if it’s going to happen. When he struck it I wasn’t sure it was going to go in but the timing of the goal was excellent for us."
The unpredictability which Izquierdo offers is conflicting of Hughton's conservative, well-drilled operation on the south coast, though it provides a source of attacking impetuous which is otherwise lacking. With increased game time, too, his understanding of the system his manager has put in place and the demands of what is required will only grow, and in turn so will his impact.
“It will take him time," Hughton continued. This is a different type of league and he didn’t have much of a pre-season. He’s a fit lad, he can run, but everybody has got to fit in the way we want to play.”
Should Izquierdo be handed an opportunity against Southampton it will be up to the Colombian to retain his place in the side. He will almost certainly be rotated with March in the left-wing role, and perhaps be called upon further forward during the rest of the season, as Hughton continues to juggle his array of wide talent.
