To Brighton, Pascal Gross is something old, but something new. Borussia Dortmund borrowed, but now he’s back in blue.
There is no more important player in Brighton’s Premier League history than the 34-year-old – who was their first ever signing as a £3m purchase after their promotion to the top-flight. He stood as a symbol for the entire Brighton project – match made in heaven.
But for Gross, there was no more important phone call than the one from Brighton over Christmas that sealed his return to the club from Dortmund after 18 months away.
“There were a couple of other options, but Brighton was always the priority,” he tells Sky Sports, back in Brighton blue after taking part in his first training session with the team on Monday.
“I just stayed in touch with all the lads over the time away. Maybe you watch less of the games or you don’t stay in touch as much anymore, it gets less and less, but it never really did.
“I was quite connected with the people. There was always a possibility in football, you never know.
“The whole club: the Amex, the fans, the city, I always feel really comfortable as a football player, and as a family man. It was a perfect match from the beginning and I’m really happy to have a second spell here.”
The Seagulls paid £1.2m for Gross but in truth, his influence is priceless. Despite being away for 18 months, Gross still has more Premier League goals and assists than any Brighton player in their history – not even Danny Welbeck’s recent purple patch has managed to knock him off that perch.
Those 75 goals and assists over seven years got heads turning – including Dortmund’s. It was the only club that could have taken him away from the south coast club.
“It was really difficult,” said Gross about his departure last summer. “I always knew what I got and I really liked it here.
“Only something really special got me out here. Something I wanted to see with Dortmund – the home games, the stadium, Champions League football, a team I followed since I was really young.”
But now he’s back – and it’s a perfect New Year’s Resolution to Brighton’s tricky form of late. For the second year in a row, they failed to win a Premier League game in December, dropping from fifth towards the bottom half of the table.
But Gross’ return on Saturday – albeit from the bench – ended a six-game winless run. Such a talismanic figure can be the key turning point in a season that has lacked consistency so far.
Pascal Gross made his Brighton return against Burnley on Saturday
“We have top senior players, we have a lot of young players, a lot of potential. I think it’s just the balance to get it all together. Because the Premier League is ruthless, little mistakes get punished.
“So the young ones need to learn fast, grow fast, show their full potential.”
Since Gross’ last Premier League start for Brighton, he’s played at the European Championships with Germany, scored his first international goal, played and scored in the Champions League and appeared in the Club World Cup. “A lot has happened in the last 18 months.”
His return to Brighton also coincides with a bid to make Germany’s World Cup squad this summer, having dropped out of the national team thinking due to limited game time at Dortmund.
But at the age of 34, is Gross still the same player he once was? Is he going to be the same vital cog he was before?
“I think you always grow and develop a little bit more experience,” says Gross when asked if he’s the same player. “But I’m still the same kind of player, just a little bit more experienced.
“Playing on the highest level every three days, it’s a different kind of football.
“If you play international football, the Euros, then Champions League, you basically play every three days, And that’s really tough because it’s not easy, playing on a certain level and the ambition is always to win every game.
“It’s like the big teams like Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and the other ones. They have pressure to win every three days and not one of them games are easy.
“You’re going into those games and maybe some teams can prepare for a whole week. That’s a whole different story. So, that was the biggest learning for me from my time at Dortmund.”
Can Brighton beat Man City? Gross and Gruda discuss…
One player who could really benefit from Gross’ input is Brajan Gruda, still finding his way on the south coast as a young German international.
The pair actually met before Gross’ Brighton departure during a German national team camp before Euro 2024. And the 34-year-old made an effort to speak to Gruda upon arriving at the club.
“When he came here, he talked to me and he said, ‘now I’m here, I’m going to help you,’ Gruda tells Sky Sports.
“The conversation was nice. Because everything’s so fast, you see everything go so quick, and he tried to help me.”
Did that conversation include getting Gruda to the levels where he can reach the World Cup by the summer? “This is what we want, what I dream,” Gruda replies. “We both wish we can go.”
Beforehand, both Germans will be looking to get Brighton as high as possible in the Premier League, possibly to another European spot.
And while a trip to Manchester City may be a daunting match to in an attempt to get back-to-back league wins, it’s worth noting that Brighton did manage to claim three points against Pep Guardiola’s side in the Amex back in August, with Gruda scoring the winner.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Brighton’s match against Man City in the Premier League
“If you give 100 per cent every game, you can win against everyone. It doesn’t matter against who we play.
“Every little mistake can be dangerous for us. They have good players in front everywhere. It’s very difficult against them.
“But it’s football, you know. Everyone comes from the street when they start playing football, so everything’s the same. They’re all humans – so it doesn’t matter. If you have fun, enjoy it, you can beat everyone.”
Gross has already played at the Etihad Stadium already this season, losing 4-1 to Manchester City in the Champions League this season.
So can Brighton’s ‘something old, something new’ learn from those past mistakes and get them another big win?
“The team showed they can beat every team above,” says Gross. “But it’s also really hard to get a win against the teams below you.
“The Premier League? You never know. You should always believe that we can prepare well. We have a lot of quality to hurt them as well. But it will be a tough game, we need to be really, really good to get something out of it.”
Wednesday 7th January 6:00pm
Kick off 7:30pm
Watch Man City vs Brighton live on Sky Sports this Wednesday night, kick-off 7.30pm
