Brighton Star ‘Twice As Good’ As Declan Rice Insists Ex-Seagulls Man | OneFootball

Former Brighton & Hove Albion star Hans Kraay Jr insists that there should be no doubt in England about Mats Wieffer as he is twice as good as Declan Rice.

Wieffer impressed at Feyenoord during Arne Slot’s tenure as manager and was linked with a possible move to Liverpool to follow his boss.

It is Brighton who got a deal over the line for Wieffer though and the defensive midfielder has completed a switch to the Seagulls, penning a contract until 2029.

Kraay Jr, a former Dutch top flight player who also turned out for Brighton, revealed that he has been contacted by reporters from England asking about Wieffer.

He revealed there is doubt about how good Wieffer is from England, especially given the relatively low transfer fee of €30m, but stressed that the midfielder is actually twice as good as Rice.

“They [reporters] called me again: ‘You’ve said three times to us that he’s such a good player, but that’s not true. For €30m you can’t be a good player'”, Kraay Jr said on Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur.

“They think that’s just a tip there.

“€116m for Rice? Wieffer is twice as good.”

Brighton have earn a reputation for smart dealing in the transfer market and will hope that Wieffer can hit the ground running in the Premier League next season.