Kaoru Mitoma has opted for an extended stay at Brighton & Hove Albion. The Japanese signed a new contract on Friday morning that links him to Brighton until June 2027, the team with which he has impressed in the Premier League since the summer of 2022.
Mitoma had a great time at Union in the 2021/22 season. That was the season where the Unionists were at the top of the league as PhD students for months, only to lose the title to Club Brugge in the Play-Offs. Mitoma was loaned from Brighton for just a season and so the Japanese returned to his parent club in the summer of 2022.
There he immediately managed to make an impression. In his first season in the Premier League, he immediately scored seven goals and six assists, putting Brighton on the way to sixth place, good for tickets to the group stage of the Europa League. And this season he has also found his way to goal easily: after eight matches he already has three goals, in addition to the three assists he has already provided. Brighton is currently sixth in the Premier League with sixteen points. That is four fewer than leaders Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal.
Trainer and technical director praised Mitoma
Those good performances have now been rewarded with a new contract. “It’s great news. Kaoru is our top player,” coach Roberto De Zerbi praises Mitoma. And technical director David Weir is also happy with the contract extension. “It’s fantastic news that a player of Kaoru’s quality is staying with us for the long term. Kaoru adapted to the Premier League last season and has quickly become one of our key players. I have no doubt that our supporters will be delighted with this news.”