Kaoru Mitoma has come a long way from formulating his thesis on the art of dribbling.

After consistently dismantling one of the best right-backs in the premier league in Alexander-Arnold (albeit not particularly known for his defensive abilities), Mitoma has all but solidified his place in the Brighton team making a push for Europe.

Mitoma chose to forgo a traditional path into football. He rejected a professional contract and joined the University of Tsukuba to study physical education at 19.

Mitoma felt as though he wasn’t ready to make the next step within football and decided to write a thesis on dribbling. In an article by The Athletic, Mitoma recalls “I put cameras on the heads of my team-mates to study where and what they were looking at and how their opponents were looking at them.” Mitoma’s goal was to figure out what actions influence a successful dribble for a player.

6 years later, having made his way into the Premier League, the influence clearly shows. Having found his way into the starting lineup only after the world cup, Mitoma has benefitted from manager Roberto De Zerbi’s falling out with Leandro Trossard. Mitoma has scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist to Brighton so far, but provides so much more to the team.

This season in the Premier League, no other player attempting more than 4 dribbles a game has a dribble success rate higher than his 50% (minimum 5 starts). He uses his pace to get ahead of the opponent and utilizes his lanky frame and agility to drop the shoulder and get past players. He also leads the Brighton squad in xA per 90 and Shot Creating Actions per 90, indicating he’s also able to leverage his skills to provide chances for himself and his team. With this being Mitoma’s first season of Premier League football at the age of 25, Mitoma has ample room to mature and grow under De Zerbi.

De Zerbi has Brighton playing exciting football. With Liverpool and Chelsea faltering, this might be the year Brighton meets their underlying statistics and actually qualifies for European competitions next year.

(Stats from Understat and Sports Reference)