“I expect him to give more” – Brighton January target criticised by manager, De Zerbi wanted him

During the January transfer window, there were some rumours suggesting that Brighton & Hove Albion were interested in Maxime López.

The diminutive midfielder, who knows Federico De Zerbi, has been pushed to one side of late under Alessio Dionisi, with the two falling out.

That suggested that there could be room for negotiations, and there was even a report that López would have been open to a move to Brighton had it presented itself.

Unfortunately for him, despite him struggling to convince Dionisi to start him, the midfielder was deemed important enough to have an exit blocked midway through the season.

Whether that means Brighton will get a second crack at it going forward remains to be seen, but the Sassuolo manager has explained exactly what his issue is with the former Marseille starlet.

Asked about whether he had ‘made peace’ with López in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Dionisi said: “Maxime had to make peace with himself, and I think he has done it now. Technically, there is no discussion, but at Sassuolo, you cannot only think of technique and leave out the rest. Otherwise, you stay out (of the team). I expect him to give more: if he does, he plays.”

We will now have to wait and see whether or not the Brighton target gets given another chance by Dionisi, but, to date, the 25-year-old has not started a game in the league since the 1-1 draw against Roma back on November 9th.