Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Pascal Groß has shared his delight at being on the brink of making 100 Premier League appearances for the club.
The German midfielder is currently sitting on 107 appearances in total for the Seagulls, having been a regular for them since arriving in a £2.7m deal from Ingolstadt in 2017.
99 of those have come in the Premier League, meaning he can join a very special club should he make an appearance against Aston Villa this weekend.
Indeed, should he crack the 100 club he would become just the fourth Brighton player to reach that total in the Premier League; quite the achievement for a player who has only been there for two years.
It’s something he’s more than aware of, sharing the message his father gave him about the record.
“That is a proud number. My father said to me that when you reach this number, you are a seasoned player,” he told Mannheimer Morgen.
“I am very happy with this label. And since I played most of these games from the start, I think that I also prevailed.
“It’s a special game for me, but I haven’t really planned anything for it.
“I’m always working on what I can do better because football is also developing.”
Groß has found racking up the appearances a little more difficult this season, finding himself increasingly out of the picture under manager Graham Potter.
Part of that has been down to the arrival of several players at the club, with the experienced Adam Lallana; a direct competitor for his attacking midfield role.
It means Groß has been in Brighton’s starting 11 just twice this year, playing in the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham and the 0-0 draw with Burnley.
He’s not bothered about finding himself down the pecking order, though, knowing it’s just a by-product of a more competitive squad.
“The club has brought in a lot of newcomers and tried to develop with young players,” he added.
“There is a lot of competitive pressure. You just have to stay on the ball and fight your way back.
“Every game is difficult and at a high level. Even the less ambitious clubs have top players in their ranks.”
