From the start, FC Augsburg emphasized that Ricardo Pepi was an investment in the future. Measured against the 17 million euros that was put into the transfer fee, the performance of the young striker in the last second half of the season was very poor: four times starting eleven, not a single goal, plus adjustment problems within the team.
The result: Augsburg loaned the talent to FC Groningen for the following season. Lo and behold, there Pepi is now showing that he has qualities that also offer real added value in European club football. Six goals in nine Eredivisie games is a strong record. Physically and especially in terms of assertiveness, Pepi has made a significant step forward.
It’s Brighton’s turn
The 19-year-old’s performance improvement has been heard in the Premier League. Journalist Charlie Parker-Turner of the ‘Daily Express’ names Brighton & Hove Albion as interested in Pepi. The eighth of the table, like various other English first division clubs, is on the Americans’ turn. Parker-Turner describes a loan termination and subsequent winter change as unlikely, but the same does not apply to a change in summer.
Now it is clear: Augsburg would love to have Pepi back in their own ranks as a strengthened personality for the coming season. After all, you want to prove, among other things, that the scouts did not show a bad eye in this case. On the other hand, the interest from the Premier League always means the prospect of a warm shower of money. So it will be interesting to see whether Brighton and Co. will put the advertising in concrete terms in the coming months.
