Kaoru Mitoma has emerged as a hot topic in the Premier League since the World Cup break.
The Brighton & Hove Albion forward has been one of the most exciting players to watch this season, with his amazing playing style winning over a lot of fans from other teams as well.
Mitoma has been an absolute menace with his flexibility and sheer skill in the final third.
Be it his troubling forward runs and dribbling ability or his incredible close control, he possesses a sense of unpredictability in his game that not many players do in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old has ensured that Son Heung-Min isn’t the only Asian player to reap all the praise and has even outperformed the Tottenham Hotspur forward this season.
In his last eight appearances for the Seagulls, Mitoma has scored four goals and provided an assist.
That involves goals against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool – with the latter breaking the internet on Sunday. Mitoma helped his side pick up a huge 2-1 win in the FA Cup 4th round against the Reds, scoring an added-time winner.
He got the ball inside the box, did a fake flick to confuse everyone and blasted a shot past Alisson.
The Japanese winger has earned a lot of praise for his amazing goal and introduced himself as a top-quality player in the game.
Mitoma has come a long way since playing at the University-level in Japan to now becoming one of the most feared wingers in the league.
He only joined Brighton in 2021 for a meagre £2.5m fee from his first professional club Kawasaki Frontale.
The Seagulls pulled off the ultimate steal by not only signing him for cheap but also putting him on a really low-wage structure.
As per reports, Mitoma earns a meagre £10,000-a-week salary at Brighton.
The Seagulls boast a tight wage budget and offered the basic package to the 25-yeat-old when he joined, something he happily accepted knowing he’ll play in the best league in the world for Brighton.
Mitoma is the definition of ‘value for money’ and some fans are absolutely shocked at discovering the low salary he earns despite being one of Brighton’s best players this year.
The Japanese winger has now realized his potential and will soon have bigger clubs surrounding him like vultures, possibly in the summer transfer window as things are going.
He could be contracted at Brighton for two more years, but an attractive offer from an elite club can persuade him to jump ships too.
Indeed, Mitoma could soon pull a Moises Caicedo in urging Brighton to allow him to make the ‘big move’ to a major club – even without making a public social media post.
£10,000-a-week wages are really low in a league like the Premier League and the 25-year-old could want to earn something that matches his value soon.
For now, however, the Japanese star appears to be more than happy to play under De Zerbi and cause nightmares to defenders.
Irrespective of whatever happens in the future, Brighton have already pulled one of the steals of the decade in signing the highly talented winger on such a cheap package.
