Brighton CEO eyeing contract extension for electric World Cup winner Mac Allister

Harry Watkinson
Arsenal target Alexis Mac Allister celebrates scoring a goal

Brighton CEO Paul Barber has announced that the club are in talks with Alexis Mac Allister regarding a new deal, in order to fend off growing interest in the midfielder.

The 23-year-old was instrumental in Argentina’s historic World Cup campaign, which saw his country lift the Jules Remet for the first time since 1986.

Since, the midfielder has reportedly been looked at by a host of big European clubs, but the Seagulls are desperate to keep their man.

Mac Allister made six stellar performances for the Argentines in Qatar, adding to his already impressive reputation.

He scored one goal in Argentina’s 2-0 win against Croatia in the group stages, but most significantly, provided a fantastic assist for Angel Di Maria’s crucial strike in the final yesterday, forever writing himself into his country’s history books.

Generally, though, Mac Allister has been an excellent player for Brighton.

Since joining the Seagulls on an £8m deal in 2019, he has been on two loan spells back to his home country, before cementing himself in the Brighton team in the 2020/21 campaign.

Overall, Mac Allister has scored 13 goals in 86 appearances across all competitions for the South coast club, also contributing six assists.

This season has been his best so far, though, already scoring five goals in 15 league appearances.

A versatile player, Mac Allister has the ability to play as a defensive, central or attacking midfielder, with his stats impressive in terms of defence, attack and playmaking.

The Argentine has made the third-most interceptions in the Premier League this season and is in the top 10 for the most successful tackles in the division, too. He has also scored the joint-most penalties of any player, with three.

It’s clear to see why Barber is keen to keep hold of his star man.

Speaking to TalkSport, he said: “We were working on a new contract for Alexis in the build-up to the World Cup.

“We felt that Alexis has been performing really well all season, he performed well last season.

“He’s been growing into the Premier League ever since he joined us and we were not at all surprised that he was able to make a contribution at that level.

“As we’ve always said, when players do well, when their profile increases, there’s always going to be interest in them,” he added.

“Alexis is no different, there was interest in him before the World Cup and I’m sure there will be more interest in him afterwards.

“All we can do in situations where you’ve got a great asset is to try and protect yourself as best as possible.

“We hope Alexis will continue to be playing for us for some time to come.”

Indeed, as reported by TEAMtalk, Spurs are ready to tussle with Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Juventus to sign Mac Allister in January.

However, it’s thought that the player’s preference is to remain in England, where he can demand a greater salary.

Whether Mac Allister opts to stay at Brighton or to head for a club playing European football, it’s likely he will be getting a considerable pay rise, which is well-deserved after having such a stunning World Cup.

READ MORE: Ranking Premier League clubs on how many minutes their men played at the World Cup